


The Underdog

by A Dueling Heart (ADuelingHeart)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Duke and Mai make the best BFF's, F/M, Joey has secrets, M/M, Mokuba is the wisest of them all, Other, Seto Kaiba has feelings, Violence and Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:48:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 71,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADuelingHeart/pseuds/A%20Dueling%20Heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Kaiba did the unthinkable? What if Joey called that last attack and defeated Marik? Who would have thought two what ifs could change… everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marik goes down but shit still hits the fan

**Author's Note:**

> Italics= thoughts
> 
>  My favorite Puppyshipping fics are those where they don't start off having crushes on each other. These two characters do not like each other at first but the potential for love is fun to play with. I think they are both too thick-headed to view each other in a positive light but if it wasn't for that they would make a great couple (a crazy, bickering couple but great nonetheless). At heart, they are a lot alike.
> 
> This is my first fanfic ever. Yisss!

"JOEY!"

Several voices could be heard screaming the blonde's name. The gang watched on, horrified. The Winged-Dragon of Ra's attack left a devastating aftermath.

Mokuba took a few steps forward, daring to believe that what he'd just witnessed wasn’t true.

"We have to stop this now," the little boy whispered.

Kaiba kept himself from tensing when Mokuba stepped away from his side. While he would never baby his younger brother he was a good deal protective. In a situation like this he'd rather have his brother close by within his sphere of protection.

That being said the tall brunette also had to refrain from flinching at Mokuba's words.

_'There's no way I'm stopping this duel. I can't. I must witness Ra's power with my own eyes.’_ The teen CEO focused on the abundance of smoke dissipating on one end of the arena. _'It's not like this duel will last much longer. Wheeler will be down and out. He'll be fine.'_

A bark of mad laughter slid everyone's attention to the other end of the arena where Marik stood.

"Now, now Little Joey," Marik called out, eyes aglow with insanity. "Come out of hiding won't you? The shadows await and they want your soul."

His ringing howls angered more than one. Marik's eyes flashed over to Yami. Any moment now little Joey will be nothing more than an emotionless shell when the shadows take him. He will serve as a perfect example as to what will happen to the Pharaoh once he got the chance to face him.

As the smoke withered away everyone once again called out in shock.

Joey…was standing.

Every single one of them had expected to find the blonde passed out on the floor.

No one was more shocked than Marik who screamed out in astonishment.

"It can't be! No one can withstand the fury of an Egyptian God Monster! No one!"

Marik grit his teeth. Anger pumped through his veins, but it was the note of fear that truly unnerved him.

"You should have been wiped out!" the crazed man cried hysterically.

Several gasped as Joey's head lifted. The amber eyes, normally alit with fire, were glazed. Yugi recoiled from his spirit room inside of Yami, large eyes filling with tears. The look in Joey's eyes reminded Yugi of when his best friend had been possessed.

_Water? Where'd it come from?_

_Joey's mind was lost in a haze. He had no idea what was going on or where he was. The murky water encompassed him. To his confusion it felt…familiar, non-threatening. He wasn't safe in the dark waters but he knew he would be okay regardless. The interment flashes of light only served to add to his confusion._

_"Guys?" the blonde spoke in a bubble. He watched it float up away from him._

" _Somebody!?"_

_What felt like a hand grasped the surprised blonde and jerked him forward. His head came to rest upon something hard and soft all at once as he was rushed up, up._

_Lights gathered as one and blew out searing his vision._

When the blonde came back to his mind was tossed into the present, as though he'd burst out of the water only to find himself at a duel.

Joey couldn't see his friends though he could hear their calls in the distance. His main concern however lay in front of him. Marik glared something fierce, Mokuba's jaw hung open, and Roland's wide eyes were visible; his signature shades clutched in his hand.

All this aside, there was one person who garnered Joey's true focus. The blonde had always thought he'd had Kaiba pegged. The tall brunette's _sparkling_ personality was supposed to be set in stone. He'd never thought he'd see the day he'd be able to do something so drastic that it would place the Ice Prince in such a state of shock. Even from where he stood Joey could make-out the visible confusion in the turbulent blue eyes. Had the blonde been just a bit more speculative by nature he may have wondered why the look in Kaiba's eyes lit of flame of excitement in him.

Re-energized, the blonde turned back to Marik.

"I'm putting a stop to your evil Marik," Joey spat confidently. "For good!"

A bead of sweat trickled down Marik's forehead. His veins became grotesquely pronounce as he growled.

' _If he manages to call an attack I'll lose the duel and my Egyptian God card.'_

Among all spectators Mokuba is the first to truly react.

"Go Joey!" Mokuba cheered. He pumped a triumphant fist into the air.

His elder brother was in a world all his own. Kaiba was a man of calculations which is why the scene before him floored him so much. Even he had not predicted this outcome. His quick mind instantly dredged up a previous deduction he'd once made, _'Wheeler is so unpredictable even Kaiba Corp Computers can't properly deduce what he can or will do.'_ The statement was meant as a joke at the time but it couldn't ring more true than it did at this moment. The idiot mutt was about to pull off the big win.

"How did he withstand Ra's attack?" Kaiba unintentionally breathed out. The brunette hadn't missed the look Wheeler sent his way. It only further bothered the corporate teen that it had caused him to straighten himself to his full towering height.

_'Here goes,'_ Joey thought as he pulled out a card. _'Gearfried the Iron Knight, perfect. He's got more than enough power to wipe Marik out.'_

Feeling his strength begin to drain Joey placed the card on his duel disk.

"Get ready Marik, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

"No!" his opponent exclaimed.

Mokuba and the gang cheered Joey on.

Joey frowned. His strength was fading fast. He switched his footing to prevent from staggering. Ra's attack was finally taking its toll. He wasn't going to last much longer. His vision was blurring around the edges and creeping in.

"Gearfried, attack Marik's life points directly!"

The blonde made sure to keep direct eye-contact with Marik as he unleashed his final attack.

"No, no, no!" Marik shouted in utter disbelief. "This can't be happening!"

Gearfried closed in and speared Marik. The spiky-haired male screamed in agony as he hunched over and fell to his knees.

Serenity ran out of the elevator and onto the deck just in time to catch the uproar let out by the gang. Yami stood proud as Tristan and Duke hoot and hollered. Tea latched onto Serenity upon noticing the younger female was with them.

"What's going on?" Serenity asked.

"It's Joey, he won!"

"Big brother?" Serenity's smile grew wide as she looked upon her brother's form. "Oh Joey, you did it!"

Joey paid no one no mind. He used the last of his strength to smile.

"Ra," he announced, eyes brilliantly lit. "Is mine."

The cheers truly exploded at that pronouncement.

' _Impossible! Wheeler's gained the power of Ra!'_ Kaiba's eyes narrowed, all traces of surprise long gone, He couldn't believe it. The mutt is supposed to be a simpleton, a third-rate duelist... right?

To everyone's continuing shock Joey toppled forward. The blonde was out before his head knocked against the ground.

Everyone rushed to his side at once.

Roland jerked in surprise as Kaiba held him back.

"Medics, now."

The elder man didn't miss the strange glow in the icy eyes but wisely made no comment.

Kaiba himself strode onto the arena platform and stood aways from the group gathered around Joey. His insides squirmed in apprehension though he honestly could not tell from what.

The blonde didn't stir.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You've got to go Joey."

The blonde looked up to find Yugi looking right at him. The small guy had a smile on his face and was tugging on his arm to urge him forward.

"Yugi? What's going on? I just woke up here I swear!"

Yugi laughed.

"It's time to go Joey," lilac eyes shone. "The biggest duel of your life awaits!"

The blonde scratched his head.

"Uh Yug, what are ya talkin' bout?"

The little guy only smiled as he continued tugging his friend through the streets.

"Oh wait!" realization dawned on Joey. "I dueled Marik! And won! Aww yeah Joey Wheeler kicked some major bad guy butt!"

The blonde pulled to a stop to pump several fists up into the air. He stopped mid-motion as another thought came to him.

"Wait a minute! What are we doing here? Where are we? And what about your duel with Kaiba?"

"You're in a dream Joey. I'm trying to wake you up. Your opponent will be the toughest you've ever faced. When you face him you must be ready."

Surprise took over Yugi's face as Joey hoisted him up into the air.

"Yes! That means you beat Kaiba! I wish I could have seen rich boy's face! Our duel is going to be awesome Yug! I can't wait!"

Yugi smiled as he was set back down. He walked away from Joey and turned a corner.

"Hey! Where ya goin'?"

The blonde ran after Yugi almost crashing into him around the corner. The little guy was pointing ahead.

"There's the exit Joey."

Joey sweat-dropped. A never-ending black abyss shaped as a hole in the ground lay before them.

"Uh Yug, are you sure about that?" Joey asked weakly. His knees shook. Yugi's gramp's soul was locked away in a card? Okay. Crazy madman possessed him and almost cost him his life? Sure. Crazy madman is actually possessed himself by an evil set on taking over the world through an ancient power? When isn't that happening? But a scary looking hole was the same to Joey as ghosts were, a big fat NO!

Yugi chuckled and nodded.

Nervous laughter filtered out of Joey.

"In that case why don't you go first?"

Yugi shook his head.

"I'm not real Joey. And I'm not the one who needs to wake up."

"Traitor," Joey whispered flatly.

_'Oh well, I lived a good life right?'_

His body tensed as he stood at the edge of the abyss. He swallowed audibly and shook himself. With a raging cry akin to George of the Jungle the blonde leapt into the air and fell into the dark hole. He screamed as he felt a rushing sensation surge through him as though he were being sucked in through a tube.

"Oh Joey, please wake up..."

_'That voice.'_

The blonde felt stiff everywhere. Darkness surrounded him. With a groan his eyes parted open, the light driving all the dark away. With a turn of his head he noticed Serenity was at his side. The young female had her arms wrapped around her legs, head hidden slumped down.

"Serenity?"

Hazel eyes widened in disbelief as the female raised her head up. The tear-stained cheeks were telling.

"Big brother? Are you really awake?"

Joey chuckled.

"It's me sis."

"Oh Joey!"

Serenity threw herself onto her brother, latching onto his bare torso as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Joey allowed himself a peaceful moment to hug his sister. He ran a hand through her hair before pulling her back a bit so he could get a clear view of her face.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Serenity sniffled.

"I remember now," Joey mused. "I was dueling Marik and I must have passed out. Is this some sort of hospital room? Where are all of the others?"

"I told everyone to go. They wanted to stay but I insisted. Kaiba and Yugi's duel was up so I told them to go give Yugi support," Serenity explained.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and cheer Yugi on!" Joey cried as he yanked wires off of his chest and got to his feet.

A startled gasp turned the sibling's attention to the man who'd just entered the room.

"This is impossible," the man proclaimed. "You shouldn't be awake much less up and running."

"Well, that’s where you're wrong Doc cause I feel fine," Joey returned. He would have said more but that was when he spotted _her_.

“Mai!” The elder female lay in her hospital bed. She hadn't woken up. 

The male blonde rushed to her side. He gripped one of her shoulders gently and shook her.

"Why isn't she awake? I beat Marik so why isn't she up yet!"

"I don't know Joey," Serenity came to stand at her brother's side, large eyes sorrowful. "I'm sorry."

Joey growled. _'This doesn't make any sense!'_

He let Mai go. He'd failed. He beat Marik and yet still failed. Mai had become one of his closest friends. She was the only one who figured out his secrets, some he had yet to come to grips to himself. She meant so much to him, and yet, he still failed her completely.

"Stay here Serenity, stay with Mai," Joey told her. "I'll go find the others and I'll make Marik pay. I'll pound that frizzy-haired creep until he brings Mai back."

"Now you listen here young man you can't- "

"Joey wait!"

Joey had only been a few steps from the door when he pulled to a stop. He could ignore the doctor but never his little sister.

"Serenity I- "

"You need a shirt big brother, and shoes."

She smiled coyly as Joey looked down at himself and blushed in embarrassment.

"Right," the male blonde said with a laugh.

"Your shoes are there," his sister pointed to the end of the bed.

Joey kept ignoring the doctor's rants as he slipped his sneakers on.

"Hey, where's my shirt?" He checked the bed and looked under it but couldn't find a thing. Looking up he noticed Serenity's smile was very mischievious.

"I'm sorry big brother but your shirt fell apart. They had to dispose of it so you'll have to go shirtless."

"WHAT!?"

"Sorry big brother."

"Ugh," Joey groaned. "I don't have time for this!"

He stormed out.

Serenity chuckled and turned around to look up at the duel tower through the window.

"Good luck Joey."

_'Is it already over?'_

Joey's mind lay in whirl as he waited in the elevator. He wished the damn thing would go faster.

_'I beat Marik but Mai still isn't awake which means Ryou probably isn't either. And everyone else has got to be up on the duel tower but from what I could tell it doesn't sound like there's a duel going on.'_

The blonde growled as he placed his hands on his head.

' _Just what the heck is happening?'_

His heart sped up as he noticed the elevator was slowing down. When the doors opened everyone turned around and cried out at the sight of him.

"Joey!"

"Hey guys! Good to see all of ya!" he called out cheerfully.

His friends were almost too shocked to say anything.

"Dude where's your shirt?" Tristan finally burst out.

Joey shrugged. "I decided to work on my tan."

"Is he serious?" Duke asked, eyes widening slightly.

"Where's moneybags? I wanna see his face after Yugi beat him."

"Think twice mutt."

Joey's retort got caught in his throat.

When Kaiba's distinctive voice cut through the air the blonde immediately parted through his friends ready to make his own snappy comeback but the words instantly died away.

Right in the center of the dueling arena lay Yugi… and Marik. Both lay perfectly still, eyes closed.

"Yug?" the blonde called out weakly.

Both Yugi and Marik wore a soft purple glow that pulsated off of them. But it was the definitive paleness of the small boy and the utter stillness that shocked Joey beyond all measure.

His little buddy looked dead.

"Yugi!"

The blonde frantically threw himself onto the dueling platform and ran to his friend's side despite the rest of the gang's protests.

Amber eyes looked over Yugi's form in sheer desperation. Enraged, he turned back to face the rest.

"What's going on? What happened to Yugi!"

The utter ferocity the blonde was displaying shocked most everyone. Even Kaiba took note of the blonde's anger though his outward expression betrayed nothing.

It was Tea who spoke up this time.

"Joey, you shouldn't be here."

"What are you senile? I'm here so answer me! What's going on? What happened?" the blonde snarled. 

"Relax man," Tristan cut in. "It's not what it seems."

"Then what is it?" Joey ground out as the gang wearily made their way over to him and the fallen Yugi and Marik.

"Joey, the thing is- "

"You shouldn't be up Joey!" Tea cut Tristan off.

Joey might have gotten angrier at the delay of answers but the way Tea's eyes welled up jolted him.

"M'fine."

"You can't be fine!"

"Tea are you listenin'? I said M'fi- "

"You died!"

The blonde had thought Tea was simply taking after the doctor. That, however, was not something he had been expecting her to say, not at all.

"I... what?" Joey whispered, anger ebbing away.

Tears slipped from Tea's eyes.

"You died Joey," she repeated. "Ra's attack ultimately killed you. The doctor claimed it was a miracle he'd been able to bring you back, but he said there was very little chance of you waking up much less function properly on the smaller chance that you did."

"You may be up but I doubt you're really okay man," Tristan put in.

"Tristan's right," Duke said. "You shouldn't be here right now Joey."

Joey took in each of his friend's worried expressions but one look at Yugi set him straight.

"Well whatever that quack said was obviously wrong. Forget about me and focus on Yugi here!" his eyes narrowed uncharacteristically. "What happened to Yugi?"

"I think you should worry about yourself Wheeler."

Joey tensed as he turned around and looked up. He'd taken no notice of all of Kaiba's having strolled up to stand a few feet away. His tall figure looked all the more imposing from the blonde's viewpoint at a crouched position.

"What are you talking about Kaiba?" Joey growled as he stood up, his entire form riddled with tension. The tall brunette had always managed to get under his skin but it was for far more than the fact that he was just a prick now. Not since… the incident.

Kaiba smirked.

"I know mutts don't like clothes but I thought even you were at least trained to wear them out in public."

"I'm not a dog Kaiba!" Joey spat as his stomach fluttered. He couldn't be sure but he thought those icy blues focused on his bare chest just a few seconds too long. He knew he had nothing to be ashamed off. Sure he was fairly thin and may have had a few too many scars but his lithe body was muscled and very defined. He knew for a fact that his muscular build was sharper than Tristan's, Duke's, hell even Mako's and therefore he was in much better shape than most guys. But when Kaiba's eyes had roamed over his form... it triggered something. 

"Yugi here forfeited our duel. He decided he'd rather play some shadow game with the freak."

Joey's eyes widened. It couldn't be.

"Yugi forfeited? " Joey narrowed his eyes at Kaiba."No way! No way Yugi would do that!"

Kaiba threw his head up and laughed. It was loud and clearly mocking.

"If you don't believe me mutt go ahead and ask any of the other geeks. Yugi decided handling Marik was more important than this tournament."

Flashes of anger sparked in Joey once more but one look at the others told him Kaiba wasn't lying. He didn't have to ask when it was written all over their faces.

' _I may have beaten Marik but I suppose it's up to the Pharaoh to save all the others. But what kind of duel are they facin'?'_ The blonde clenched his fists. _'How am I suppose to help Yugi if I have no idea how to?'_

"I hope you're ready to lose Wheeler."

At Joey's blank look Kaiba continued.

"With Yugi forfeiting that means I win by default. We can now move on to the finals. It's just you and me Mutt and I intend to show you just how pathetic of a duelist you really are. There's no way a third-rate failure like you could possibly compete with me."

"What!"

Joey growled as he stomped up to Kaiba. Fierce amber locked with arrogant blue.

The entire gang looked on with worry. Now wasn't the time for a big argument.

"In case you forgot I defeated Marik Moneybags! If I can beat him I can definitely beat you! With Ra in my deck you don't stand a chance Rich-boy!"

The blonde crossed his arms over his bare chest and fixed the tall brunette with his best glare.

Some may not know it but Duke was a fairly good judge of character. The raven haired male often came off as frivolous and flighty but truth was he was far from it. While he did care about style and saw nothing wrong with flattery, Duke had a lot more going on under the surface and often employed an exaggerated persona for the public. It was imperative for the businessman to be able to read people both to succeed in the business world and to boost sales. Which is why what he saw playing out in front of him was… intriguing, to say the least.

Duke knew some of the history behind the relationship that is Kaiba and Joey's- that is that they've been trading insults literally from day one. However, ever since Kaiba took the plunge the usual insults accompanied a lot of staring. Duke was probably one of the few who noticed the way Kaiba and Joey snuck glances at each other; glances that evolved from anger to confusion to curiosity. They always sneaked one in whenever they thought no one else was looking. The other person the raven suspected knew something was up was Mai, as he caught the female shifting her eyes between the two more than once. Duke had been surprised that jealousy never once swam in her gaze. He had planned to confront the female blonde about it, as she obviously had an idea of what was up, but of course he couldn't, not right now at least.

The raven was worried for Joey. Though the blonde and the brunette may not know it their relationship was changing. Upon meeting and dueling Joey, Duke had found out something vital about the blonde which he decided was best to keep to himself. It simply worried him that that something could end up hurting the blonde deeply if all of his suspicions came to be true.

"Say what you want Wheeler. Having Ra in your deck doesn't mean you'll be skilled enough to use it. By the end of the duel you'll kneel at my feet where you belong!"

Kaiba smirked as fire lit Joey's eyes.

' _Big brother,'_ Mokuba thought with a pout.

The tall brunette turned to Roland.

"Announce the finals!"

Roland nodded.

"The Battle City finals will now begin! Seto Kaiba vs. Joey Wheeler! The winner will be crowed the winner of the Battle City Tournament!”

Joey uncrossed his arms and righted himself as much as he could. 

"No."

"What did you just say?" Kaiba's smirk stretched. "Are you forfeiting as well?"

"Not at all," Joey replied. He turned away from his rival to face where Yugi lay unmoving on the ground, body still covered in that strange purple haze.

He turned back to Kaiba and flicked his thumb in the direction of Yugi. "As much as I want to beat you Moneybags that's my best bud lying on the ground. For all I know he's fighting for his life and needs my help. I'll duel you once he's okay."

His words clearly shocked his friends.

_'This isn't like Joey,'_ Tea thought.

"What are you thinking Joey? There's nothing you can do for Yugi man!" Tristan yelled.

_'You've certainly matured Joey but I doubt Kaiba is willing to wait,'_ Duke thought with a frown as he continued watching the two.

As Duke predicted Kaiba's ringing laughter split the air. It caused a shiver to finger its way up Joey's spine.

"You've got to be kidding Wheeler! If you think I'll put my tournament on hold just so you can hold his hand then you've got another things coming."

Kaiba turned away and walked off of the arena, Mokuba at his side. He turned back around to face them all, throwing out a hand just as a surge of wind rippled through his coat.

"This duel progresses as scheduled."

Joey was already marching after Kaiba. The blonde jumped off of the arena and planted himself right in the taller teen's face.

"I said no Kaiba!"

The blonde took another step forward. Their faces might have been inches from each other if Kaiba hadn't been a full head taller.

"I almost died and Yugi could be dying too! I've got to help him!"

Joey saw it. Minuscule it was but Kaiba winced at the mention of death. The blue eyes widened and warmed as an alien emotion filled them. Joey's own eyes lost their fire to confusion but the blue orbs had already hardened once again.

"It seems like Ra gave you a harder hit than presumed Mutt. You're forgetting this is my tournament. Dueling you will only take a minute, tops. You can help the pipsqueak once we're through."

"You bastard! Forget the tournament!"

Joey's anger caved as he grabbed Kaiba by his trench coat's collar. The tall brunette immediately glared daggers.

"You have two seconds to let go mongrel."

"Dammit Richboy I-"

Tea's horrified scream broke through their argument.

Everyone in the vicinity turned towards her and noticed what she was looking at.

"Yugi!" Joey shouted as he saw what was happening to his friend.

The familiar cloud of Shadow Realm had appeared and captured the bodies of Yugi and Marik within its grasp.

It didn't stop there.

"Shit!" Duke cried as he pushed Tea away as the cloud caught him. Tea screamed again as the raven disappeared and the shadows kept expanding. Tristan grabbed Tea by the arm, preparing to run but the Shadows moved too quick.

Kaiba had instinctively stepped in front of Mokuba which in turn was in front of Joey as well.

"Big brother! What's going on!" Mokuba shouted.

The tall brunette didn't answer.

"Guys!" Joey bellowed as he took off. The blonde almost fell as he was jerked back by Kaiba's iron grip on his upper arm.

"What do you think you're doing Wheeler!" Kaiba spat, eyes narrowing. The brunette was running on pure drive right then, not bothering to think through his uncharacteristic actions.

"I've got to help them!" Joey snapped. He tried to wrench himself free. "Let go Kaiba!"

A swell of emotions ran through the brunette as he tightened the grip. For once he was unsure of what to do.

"I didn't save you once just for you to do something stupid Wheeler."

Joey froze. Kaiba was looking at him that way again. The way he had in the water. Even in the water his blue eyes had shone.

The sound of an explosion broke the trance. The four figures watched as the Shadow Realm began compressing in on itself.

The blonde used that moment to break out of Kaiba's grip and sprint across the duel stage.

"'Joey!" Mokuba cried out.

By the time Joey neared the Shadows it was no bigger than a door, nor any thicker.

The blonde threw himself upon it. Mokuba winced at the loud screech Joey let out as he landed on the other side and smashed into the floor.

Joey wasted no time in getting up and trying again. Once more he simply phased through though this time he kept himself from falling.

"Guys…" he whispered out as he sunk to his knees. He didn’t know what to do.

The blonde’s eyes conveyed a desperate helplessness as Kaiba and Mokuba came to stand next to him.

Upon seeing the look in the blonde's eyes Kaiba almost growled in anger.

Almost.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's been over a day.

The sun had long been swallowed up by the horizon. Midnight blue painted the sky. The glaring red on the digital clock already signified it was the start of yet another day but sleep didn't come to the blonde.

Joey sighed. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night either. He turned away from his view of the outside world to focus on his hand which had spent a long matter of time brushing through his sister's auburn hair. The young female had fallen asleep a long time ago.

A smile tugged at Joey's lips. Serenity looked so innocent, so peaceful.

When Joey first stumbled into the hospital room he'd had no idea how he was going to break the news to Serenity that the others were gone. In usual fashion he ended up blurting everything. He had his arms around his sister before the tears had a chance to spring from her eyes, but spring they did.

All the crying and stress his sister had undergone recently took a toll on her. She fell asleep in Joey's embrace and didn't wake up till late this day.

It was the previous day that seemed strange to Joey, almost as much as the one prior to it when the Shadow Realm engulfed the others. When his sister had woken up it was like a switch went off. Gone was the timid little girl whose gaze lit in unbelievable wonder as Joey, still soaking wet from his brush with death, unwrapped her bandages. His little sister was growing up. She was becoming capable and brave.

It was realization that his younger sister wasn't so little anymore that prompted Joey to let Serenity in on a plan of his. The siblings had argued back and forth but in the end his sister agreed to attend Ouran High School ( **no host club in this one okay *wink*** ), the most prestigious private high school in all of Domino City. Joey wanted to put the last of his Duelist Kingdom prize money to good use. Not only would Serenity receive the best education around but she was practically guaranteed admission at the best universities. Serenity had tried to reason with Joey, that he should use the money for himself as he would clearly be needing it once the Battle City Tournament was over but her brother assured her it wasn't necessary. He went on to tell her that his hard work at his old job paid off and landed him with a new one where he would make more in one shift than he had in one week working two jobs. He simply didn't indulge his sister as to what that job was. The blonde felt a little awkward about revealing his hidden talent. It would involve revealing, well, many other things.

He spent the rest of the evening teaching her about Duel Monsters. Before he knew it night had come and his sister was asleep in the same hospital bed he had previously occupied. Joey had not forgotten his friends. Mokuba had dropped in once to inform the siblings that the others had yet to reappear. Between the three they gathered that the gang was gone; Mai, Ryou, and Odion were not awake and Ishizu was missing. It frustrated Joey to no end that there was no progress, no hints, no signs of anything to go on.

With a grumble the blonde removed his hand from his sister's hair and left. There wasn't much of a walk he could enjoy on the blimp but he was restless.

Joey moved quickly down the faceless hallways. He didn't dare poke his head into his friend's rooms as he didn't want to feel the tight squeeze around his heart.

He played with the buttons on the oversized dress shirt he wore. He couldn't remember who had brought it for him but he was happy he wasn't going to be shirtless forever. It was simply different. He wasn't use to wearing anything this nice. Despite it being obviously too big it was certainly the smoothest fabric he'd ever worn. It was beyond comfortable.

He walked, a lot.

He walked in circles.

He walked to the control room, to the duel arena on top of the blimp, to the kitchen and to the bathrooms.

He swept by the hospital room more than once. Still, he didn't feel sleepy.

He was on his way back to the control room when he bumped into someone around a corner.

"Omph!"

"Mr. Wheeler, are you alright?"

Joey rubbed his nose as he stared up at Roland.

"M'fine."

Roland nodded and adjusted his shades.

"What are you doing up and roaming the halls for Mr. Wheeler?"

Joey shrugged. "Can't sleep. And it's just Joey. I don't like to be called Mr. Wheeler. That's my father."

_'Was your father,'_ a voice mocked. The blonde barely resisted a scowl.

"As you say Joey. I'd recommend you go to sleep. I myself plan to catch some shut-eye once I get this pot of coffee to Mr. Kaiba."

Roland indicated the pot he held in his hand.

Joey's eyes widened. "Kaiba's still up?"

Roland nodded.

Joey barely had to think it over.

"I'll take it to him."

Roland lifted an eyebrow. "Mr. Kaiba is busy working on trying to bring your friends back. He shouldn't be disturbed."

The news caused Joey to gape for a few seconds. Moneybags was helping? Helping them? The dweebs? The geek patrol?

He shook his head in disbelief.

_'That's… different.'_

"I promise I won't be a bother. I gotta talk to him anyways."

Roland nodded, handed the pot over, and gave Joey directions along with a key card he would need.

Joey looked down at the pot of coffee and the key card in his hands.

_'How do I get into these things?'_

He walked off to the control room and crossed it to reach a door he knew was locked. He hesitated just before it.

_'What am I doing? I'm bringing coffee to Kaiba of all people!'_

Sweat poured down on the blonde.

_'What if he thinks I poisoned it and tries to kill me?'_

He shook it off.

_'Be cool Joey. Be cool Joey. Be cool Joey,'_ he thought as he slid the key card in and opened the door.

Light blared form the massive computer screen. The entire room looked like something out of a movie. Every inch of wall space was covered by massive screens. Kaiba sat in front of the main screen. He had several programs running at once but he was currently focused on one that had an image of the door-like object that was the Shadow Realm.

Joey closed the door, still in awe. Kaiba didn't stop his typing.

The blonde hesitated again. Under any other circumstance he would have barged in and announced his presence.

He walked up towards Kaiba, slowly. At first he thought the brunette had simply discarded his signature trench coat on a chair but as he got closer he noticed Mokuba was wrapped up under it, eyes closed in sleep.

Joey smiled. The tall brunette cared a lot for his brother.

Was it the only thing he cared for?

It was passed 3 am and the brunette was working diligently to help save his friends, right? Maybe Richboy had a heart after all, somewhere deep down.

Nerves shot through Joey as he reached out and poured coffee into a mug Kaiba had set aside.

The blonde froze as Kaiba paused in his typing and grabbed the mug to take a swift drink. The teen CEO sighed.

"Thank you."

It was unexpected, the words of thanks, the sound of Kaiba's voice breaking the stillness. Joey couldn't help himself. He responded.

"No problem Kaiba."  
The brunette immediately swiveled in his chair to hide his cringe. The blazing blue of his eyes remained as intense as when he'd had them focused on the screen.

"What are you doing here Wheeler?" he demanded with a glare.

Joey cracked a grin. He couldn't help it. It was Kaiba.

"Why, serving you coffee of course."

The brunette stared at him for a few long seconds before falling into a smirk.

"I didn't realize you were on my payroll mutt. In that case, shouldn't you have brought in the newspaper as well?"

The blonde flamed at that.

"Kai-"

Kaiba's hand suddenly clamped around his mouth. The brunette had leaned up to keep him from shouting.

The blonde tried to leap back but the grip around his jaw kept him in place. Kaiba then drew himself up. The action brought three thoughts to Joey:

1 - Kaiba was ridiculously strong.

2 - Kaiba was really, really tall. 

3 - Kaiba's hand on his mouth was the longest moment of contact they'd ever had.

3 ½ - Kaiba had yet to let go.

As the brunette loomed over him Joey could admit he was, just maybe, a little teeny bit scared.

"Mokuba's sleeping," Kaiba's gruff voice addressed.

The statement served as a reminder as well as a warning that bad things would happen to Joey should the little guy wake up.

The blonde nodded his head vigorously to show he understood.

Maybe coming in here had been a bad idea after all.


	2. Teachers are Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Finally!
> 
> For the sake of my story, they are all in their Senior year and 17 to 18 years old. Serenity is 15 and Mokuba is 13 and both are Freshman at Ouran.

"Good mutt."

The use of the nickname tore a growl out of Joey’s throat before it truly registered.

"Now scram," Kaiba told him as he sat himself back down and typed away.

Joey's eyebrows knit and  he scoffed.

"I'm bored."

"Not my problem mutt."

"I can't sleep."

"Not my concern mutt."

The blonde sighed. He just didn't know what to do with the guy. He figured the only reason their conversation was semi-civil was because Mokuba was in the room and a fight would wake the kid up.

"Where do I put this?"

He shook the pot.

Kaiba kept typing.

Joey pouted.

"Kaiba," he repeated, impatiently.

The blonde reached out to grip the brunette's shoulder.

"Touch me Wheeler and you'll regret it."

Joey eeped and retracted his hand. He then blushed for eeping. Thankfully the brunette appeared to have forgotten he was there.

Amber eyes swept the computer screen in boredom. It all looked like random numbers, words, and symbols to him.

"Mutt, set the pot over in the corner and go."

"What?"

"In the corner," Kaiba repeated.

The blonde looked around and noticed he could set the pot down behind Mokuba on the small heating device **(I forget what those things are called).**

"Whatever you say Pretty boy."

He clinked the pot down just as Kaiba stopped typing. Joey looked back to find himself trapped in the icy gaze.

"What did you just call me?"

A blonde brow rose.

"What are you talking about Richboy?"

Kaiba rose again. Joey was more prepared this time around and was able to keep himself from tensing or stepping back. The brunette crossed his arms over his chest, emphasizing the build of lean muscle. The blonde couldn't help but to notice. The chest was exposed to him, without the trench coat, as it had been only once before. The same chest he had pressed up against, and clung to, back in the water. Those deep, dark waters...

"My shirt."

Amber eyes blinked.

"Huh?"

Kaiba took a step towards him and then another. His pale hand rose and fingered the blonde's shirt collar, running down the length of the seam to the third button as the first two were unbuttoned.

Joey's breath hitched. Kaiba was close. Why was he so close?

"This is my shirt," the brunette explained, blue eyes flashing to his.

"Oh."

It was all the blonde could say. His mind was more than a bit frazzled. Kaiba was a mere step away from him and the blue eyes had warmed in their curiosity. One step more and their bodies would be pressed against each other’s. Everything stood out to the blonde as he licked his lips. The deep blue of Kaiba's eyes that were uncharacteristically not encased in ice, the full pale lips, the massive chest snugly fit in the black turtleneck. Joey wondered how that chest would feel right now… would it make him feel as safe as it had in the water?

"See something you like, mutt?"

The memory was instantly thrown out from Joey's mind.

"What?"

"Your little girlfriend is going to be disappointed when she learns the truth," Kaiba remarked.

"What are you talking about?" Joey narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"So, you haven't told anyone."

"Kaiba," Joey growled.

"You don't fancy women do you Wheeler?"

The blonde froze.

Crap.

"You don't know what you are talking about Kaiba," Joey quickly spat, hands clenching at his sides.

Kaiba snickered.

"I think you do Wheeler."

The blonde hoped the heat he felt on his cheeks wasn't visible.

"Like you would know Moneybags."

Kaiba let out a quick laugh its ridicule reaching Joey's ears.

"I know better than you Wheeler."

Joey's shit-eating grin came out to play.

"So the great Seto Kaiba has a thing for men."

The blonde gazed at the taller teen in triumph. While the world had become more tolerant of homosexuality it would still cause an uproar when they learned that one of the biggest (and richest) businessmen in the world was gay.

He really thought he finally got one over the brunette but of course, Kaiba never let him win in the end.

"Don't push you luck Wheeler," a sadistic grin flit across the pale lips. "A mongrel like you isn't fit to even lick my boots."

With that it was over. Joey had wanted to shout, to yell that Kaiba had misunderstood him but instead the steamed blonde took off before he gave in to punching that arrogant face. He hadn't missed the crass implication the brunette had thrown there. And his eyes weren't tearing up either. They weren't.

It's not like Kaiba had said anything that wasn't true.

It was simply a blow he had not been expecting. He already knew he'd never deserve someone good much less someone great. Not with how shit his life was no matter how hard he tried to do right. Not when he was such a needy, pathetic, helpless mess who would probably drive anyone off who'd tried. Hell, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was gay and couldn't believe he had been checking out Kaiba. Of all people…

The blonde brushed away a stray tear. He would never be good enough, not for anyone. He was lucky he had great friends and such a wonderful sister. Trying for more would only lead to crippling heartache. He just wished Kaiba hadn't felt the need to rub that in his face.

The tall brunette himself stared at the door with a frown. A niggling sense of guilt chipped away at him. Of all reactions he had been expecting, the disbelief and shimmer of wetness he caught in those eyes before the blonde ran off was not one. He was beginning to admit he had trouble where Wheeler was concerned. His predictions and expectations kept coming out wrong, and not just wrong but completely opposite at times. He had the strangest feeling that he should apologize, as he did whenever he wasn't careful and accidentally upset Mokuba.

Realizing what he was thinking he scowled. The mutt should not be bothering him this much. It was bad enough he'd already accepted that it was bothering him at all.

The brunette sat back down, drained his mug, and resumed his work on the analysis.

Victory was bittersweet. The CEO had learned that long ago.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You guys just have everything don't you?"

"Joey, be nice."

"What? I am being nice," grumble. "It's just they have everything okay."

"Oh Joey," shake of head.

"Hey guys, am I doing this right?"

"Yup, no eggshells."

"Awesome! Let me just put it in the mixer," pour, pour, pour. "And here goes!"

"Um, Mokuba- "

"Wait! Don't forget the- "

Zzzrriiinnnnggggg!

"Waaahhhh!"

"-lid."

Two sets of large eyes blinked.

The blonde used two hands to swipe gobs of goo off of his face. The mess that met his eyes wasn't pleasant.

"Oh boy," he called. He turned towards the smaller male. "You got any wet towels around here Mokuba?"

Mokuba nodded and ran off to retrieve them.

Serenity chuckled.

"You have some in your hair big brother."

Joey grinned, dipping his fingers into some of the goop on the counter.

"You can have some in yours if you want."

"Big brother! No!"

The two siblings laughed as Joey began chasing his sister around the room, threatening to stick his gooey fingers into her hair. He made sure to keep his pace slow so he wouldn't outrun her. When Mokuba came back upon the scene with an armful of wet rags Joey quickly turned the threat to him and the younger Kaiba quickly caught on. In no time the blonde got more of the goop on his hands and chased the two kids all throughout the kitchen.

It was about twelve hours ago the blonde had stormed away from the elder Kaiba. He managed to catch up on sleep but still felt drained when he awoke at noon. Serenity, and surprisingly, Mokuba were there when he got up. Sadly, nothing had changed concerning the others. The three spent a few hours discussing random subjects and swapping stories before Serenity decided they should bake cookies. Joey had to agree to the plan when Serenity turned puppy-dog eyes on him and Mokuba shyly admitted he'd never baked cookies before.

So, now, here they were cleaning up the mess from Mokuba's miscalculation of hitting the start button on the mixer before placing the lid on. The laughs they shared over the ordeal seemed to place them in a bubble, one wherein they could smile and forget their troubles in, for the moment.

"Can we still make cookies?" Serenity asked once the kitchen was spotless once more.

Joey checked the mixer.

"Yup! We could probably whip up a dozen or so," he replied with a happy grin.

"I'm really sorry guys," Mokuba put in.

Joey reached out and ruffled the dark locks.

"No need to apologize squirt. Now lets get these done!"

Forty-five minutes later the trio were lazying about.

Buurp!

"Joey!" two sets of voices scolded.

"Heh heh," Joey patted his exposed belly. "Sorry guys."

"I can't believe you ate so many cookies Joey," Serenity claimed in with a large smile.

"Well, ya only ate one cookie sis and this little guy here," the blonde nudged Mokuba's head. "Only ate three."

"I only had three because you vacuumed up the other twelve!" Mokuba cried as he swat the blonde's hand away.

"Yeah well," Joey grinned.

Bang!

The trio let out shouts of surprise.

"Seto?" Mokuba called out as his brother filled the entire doorway. The blue gaze sweep the room.

"There's been recent activity from the Shadow Realm."

The blonde shot to his feet.

"What do you mean? Are they back? Are they okay?"

Kaiba ignored him and walked off.

Joey cursed under his breath. He would have yelled after the brunette but he didn't want to focus on that. Not right now.

The elevator ride up was a quiet affair. Somehow the four packed themselves into the same one. The blonde kept a comforting hand on his sister and kept his eye level directly up.

He didn't want to chance meeting the CEO's eyes.

Kaiba on his part kept his eye level low. A frown marred his lips.

When the elevator doors chimed open Joey led himself and his sister out first.

"Stay here," the blonde instructed to his sister. He hoisted himself up and onto the duel arena, eyes fixated on the pulsating form of the Shadow Realm. It still wasn't much larger than a door but it was definitely thicker and it was emitting CRACKING noises- as though lightning was striking that very spot.

Joey felt rather than heard the two Kaiba's come up. He threw a hand out.

"Easy there squirt," the blonde warned when Mokuba tried to pass by him. His instincts were blaring out that something big was about to go down. Kaiba's eyes slid over to the blonde before narrowing and turning back to the Shadow Realm.

"Big brother, what's happening?" Serenity asked as she appeared behind Joey.

"What!" the blonde spluttered. "I told ya to stay back!"

The auburn-haired female smiled in apology and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Ugh," the blonde gave in. "Fine, just stay behind me."

"Hey Seto," Mokuba whispered up to his brother. Once sure he had his brother's attention he continued. "Did the analysis work?"

Kaiba shook his head imperceptibly.

"It was inconclusive."

It's what Mokuba had been expecting but a frown still settled on his lips.

Joey's eyes were fixed strictly ahead but he had caught wind of the side conversation. Talk of Kaiba's inconclusive analysis reminded him of the conversation that took place during that analysis. He shook his head. _Focus._

"The cracks are getting louder," Mokuba pointed out.

Joey tensed and stepped back. The thing was starting to bubble as well.

"Serenity, get off the dueling arena. Now!"

This time the female did as she was told.

Joey stepped back and stepped back again.

"Shit!"

The Shadow Realm was expanding! The purple, boiling, cracking mess looked about ready to blow!

Kaiba hoisted Mokuba up and moving almost as one the two older teens high-tailed it out of there.

The Shadow Realm went off, a deafening bomb that blew out hot air and fire above their heads where Joey and Kaiba had landed, pressed tight against the side of the duel arena, each shielding their respective younger sibling.

Neither paid attention as Ishizu stepped through the elevator doors, her hand covering her mouth in awe, just as the big moment was dying down.

A final burst sent out a chaotic stream of white light blinding everyone in the vicinity, even Joey and Kaiba who were no longer facing the blast.

There was a moment of utter stillness on everyone's part as they realized it was over.

Joey was amongst the first to recover, having had plenty of experience with gathering his bearings quickly. His eyes widened dramatically as he poked his head up to peek at what was left of the dueling arena.

"GUYS!"

There they were. There they _all_ were.

"I thought you were all goners!" Joey cried as a wave of relief hit him. Making sure Serenity was okay he got up and vaulted over to his friends. He took in the tattered but overall okay conditions of Duke, Tristan, Tea, and Yami. Malik was back to his old self, unconscious and currently being held up by Duke and Tristan.

"You should have more faith in your friends Joey," Tea remarked.

"Yeah man! You know I got this!" Tristan piped up.

"You mean the Pharaoh, right?" Duke smirked.

The two began to argue back and forth as Ishizu strolled up. Malik was beginning to come to. Hazy lavender eyes opened as the male Egyptian groaned and wavered between the two bickering teens on shaky legs.

"Is Malik okay my Pharaoh?" Ishizu asked.

Yami nodded.

"He's going to be fine," he assured with a smile.

"Hold on!" the blonde let out causing everyone to turn their attention to him. "That means the others are okay now too right? I gotta go see Mai!"

Joey turned and ran.

"Hey! Wait for us!"

The blonde didn't pay attention. The elevator doors cut him off from the others.

He felt jittery; a happy and nervous type of excitement had taken over, lining every edge of him.

There were a lot of people he was close to. He'd forgotten who'd said it but he remembered someone had once described him as the _'everybody's best friend type'_ , and when one thought about it- it was inevitably true. He was Yugi's best friend as he was Tristan's and Tea's. Duke often messed with Tristan but the blonde was the one he talked to in a way he didn't with the others. The same could be said for Mako and especially for Ryou. Pegasus had even admitted to respecting the blonde, referring to him as _‘Joseph’_ versus _‘Yugi-boy’_ or _‘Kaiba-boy.’_ Kaiba was the exception to the rule (he was sure) but Mokuba was obviously most comfortable around him. Then there was Mai. He was close to everyone, he was, but Mai was the one who was closest to him. She managed to crack into the deeper levels of who he was and what he was all about in a way none of the others had. That was why she had to be okay. She HAD to be.

His feet hardly touched ground when the elevator sprung him free. He moved swiftly, as fast as he possibly could..

"Mai!" he shouted upon shoving the hospital door open not a minute later. He rushed up to her side.

Mai lay perfectly still. Her eyes were closed. She looked the same as when he had left her.

"But… Marik was defeated," he whispered forlornly as he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes welled up and he retracted his hand.

"No," he chewed his lip. "No, no, no."

_'I failed. I failed. I failed.'_

"Mai," he called, desperation saturating his voice. He leaned down, eyes full of ragged disbelief.

The female blonde then shot up with a dramatic "boo!"

She laughed as Joey fell backwards with a shout, landing hard on his ass, heart pumping like mad after a long skip.

"Mai!"

"That's my name hon, don't wear it out."

"But you! And I! But-but-"

"Stop spluttering Joey," Mai flashed a grin. "It's very unattractive."

The male blonde flushed.

"That was a dirty prank," he grumbled.

"And it wasn't funny!" he added as she began to giggle once more.

"Oh Darling," Mai cast mischievous violet eyes upon him. "You know that it was."

"Mai," he growled, playfully. His heart rate was slowing down to a normal rate.

 _'She's awake.'_ That was what mattered most. The only person who knew him inside and out was going to be alright.

The sound of the door opening alerted them to the gang's arrival.

"Thanks for waiting buddy!" Tristan directed at Joey who only grinned in return.

"Mai, you're up!" Tea happily exclaimed as she and Serenity walked over to stand by her bedside.

"Feels like I woke up from a deep beauty rest," Mai lavishly yawned.

Joey frowned before shaking his head and allowing a small smile. He and Mai were so alike. How typical that she would hide the true horrors of what had gone on in the Shadow Realm.

"Glad to see you're up," Duke interjected.

"Joey here simply couldn't wait for the rest of us," Tristan pointed out.

"That's because the boy can't resist me," Mai supplied with a wink.

"I'm right here ya know!" Joey pouted, though he exchanged a sly smile with his fellow blonde.

"Why are you on the floor Joey?" Yugi asked as he sidled up to his friend's side.

"Uh," Joey scratched his cheek. "I fell."

"Well, that's obvious," Tea proclaimed.

"Oh big brother," Serenity added.

The male blonde shrugged and got to his feet.

"Hey Yug," Joey addressed as he walked over to the bedside table, picked up his duel disk, and dug threw his deck. He leapt over Mai's bed and held out his hand. "I want you to have this."

He held out a card to his vertically challenged friend.

Yugi took it.

"You're giving me Ra?" Yugi had suspected it the moment Joey pulled a card from his deck but surprise still lit his features.

The blonde shuffled his feet. These type of situations always made him a little uncomfortable. It was very rare for him to have something that was worth giving and rarer for him to actually give anything away.

"Yeah, I mean," Joey paused to rub the back of his head. "You're my pal and that card truly belongs with you. The Pharaoh needs it ya know?"

Yugi's eyes sparkled.

"Thank you Joey. You truly are a great friend."

"It's what I'm here for buddy!" the blonde flicked one of the ends of Yugi's hair with a cheesy smile. The gang laughed at the way the point Joey flicked at immediately sprung back into place.

Ishizu, Odion, and Malik entered at that moment.

Ishizu smiled as she walked up to Yugi.

"May I speak to my Pharaoh Yugi?"

Yugi nodded and with a flash of light Yami stood in his place.

The gang listened in as Ishizu explained that the Pharaoh's journey was not over (Tea slapped Joey upside the head when he remarked, "of course it ain't.") When Malik took his shirt off and exposed his back more than one person flinched.

 _'No wonder Marik came into existence,'_ Joey thought as he was reminded of his own scarred body. _'The psycho could only come forth from all that hate and fear.'_

Once explanations were over and Malik had his shirt back on, the sandy-haired Egyptian faced the group with a solemn expression.

"I hope you all could one day forgive me for everything that has come to pass. I can assure you I will atone for my wrong-doings and maybe we can one day come to call each other friends."

Joey immediately walked up and thrust a hand forward. Malik stared at him blankly, almost suspiciously. He hadn't expected Joey, the one he'd possessed, to be the first to forgive him, especially not so quickly.

The blonde grinned foxily when Malik grasped his hand and shook it.

"The past is the past and all that right? 'Sides, the real you ain't bad at all Malik."

For the first time in a long time Malik smiled, genuinely.

"Thank you for being so forgiving."

"Uh, it's nothing Ishizu," Joey rubbed his head not quite having expected that from the female. " He said he was sorry and meant it. Glad to see you're up too Odion."

Odion nodded and smiled in return as Ryou sauntered into the room. The albino looked a little worse for wear but he was standing and smiling at least.

Joey didn't notice the gratitude shown in the smiles of the Egyptians as they watched him throw an arm around Ryou both as a side-hug and to steady him.

"Ryou! How are ya feeling?"

"I've seen better days," the fair-haired teen admitted, chocolate eyes warming at the presence of his friend. "But I suppose the worst of it is over?"

Joey nodded.

"That reminds me," Joey blinked amer eyes back at the original gang. "Someone mind filling me in on just what happened back there?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Tea admitted.

"It was a very different kind of Shadow Game," Duke described.

Yami smiled wistfully and flashed back into Yugi.

"It was rough but we're okay," the little guy assured.

"Give me da details later then," Joey said as he gave into desire and lifted Yugi into the air. "All that matters right now is that you're okay!"

He set Yugi back down but not before the two shared a quick squeeze.

"Hate to interrupt the love fest but I'm ready to leave this place," Mai announced as she swung her legs out of bed and threw on her signature jacket.

"I could use a burger," Joey admitted causing sweat-drops to go around.

The male blonde grinned as he turned to look out the window at the duel tower.

"It's all over now," he whispered with a serene gaze.

"Not quite."

Joey stiffened as he turned back to face the doorway. Kaiba stepped through followed by Mokuba.

The blonde couldn't help but to flash back to their previous conversation. Kaiba's cruel remark just wouldn't fade into the background. It had cut deep enough that it resurfaced to the forefront of his mind as the brunette stood before him. And he no longer had his friend's safety to switch his focus on.

His shoulders slumped.

He suddenly felt… so tired. Where had all his energy gone?

He really didn't want to deal with Kaiba. Not right now. Not when he had never gotten the chance to lick his wounds.

The realization was shocking in itself.

"We flying off now?"

Kaiba sneered at the blonde's question.

"You're forgetting mutt, we still have to decide the winner of this tournament."

Everyone's eyes slid to Joey.

The blonde couldn't help but to smirk in response to the haughty smile on the brunette's face.

"Trying to add my Red Eyes to your collection Richboy?"

"What are you going on about Wheeler?"

"I gave my Egyptian God Card to whom it belongs," Joey flicked a thumb to the person he was talking about. "To Yugi."

"What?!" Kaiba snarled.

_'That mutt!'_

Joey walked up to the tall brunette stopping a mere arm’s length away. His eyes burned with restrained fire.

"I want to go home. Take your win Kaiba. I'm out."

The silence was so deafening you could hear Kaiba's coat ruffle… by the wind… that suddenly appeared… out of nowhere…

 

**********************************************************************************

The piercing red lined in smoky black grabbed immediate attention. The slick locks, and mix of bandages and leather held it. A sexy smirk tilted glossed lips.

There was a knock on the door before it slid open a crack.

"5 minutes."

The sensual male gave himself one last look.

It was time.

****************************************************************************

"Joey!"

"Hey sis!" the blonde gathered her into a hug. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was actually better than I thought it would be."

"Oh?"

"Well, I was really nervous at first but then I recognized someone I knew and now we've become real friends."

"Really? Well, I can't wait to meet them," Joey flicked a thumb to himself. "As your big bro I have to approve of course."

"But you already know him big brother," Serenity said with a disarming smile.

"Him?! Why I atta! Who's this _him_ huh?!"

"Hey Joey. Hey Serenity."

"Mokuba!" Joey shouted in surprise before remembering himself and shifting into a casual stance. "What are you doing here squirt?"

Stormy eyes gazed at him with a touch of amusement.

"I go to school here."

"What? But this is a highschool!"

Mokuba shrugged. "It wasn't that hard for me to get in and Seto wanted me to go to the best school around."

Joey felt his muscles harden at the mention of Kaiba. He hoped it didn't show. Battle City ended a while ago. Why was it still bothering him?

Serenity zipped up her backpack, having dug a book out.

"Here you are Mokuba. Borrow it as long as you like," she said as she handed a copy of a fantasy novel to him.

"Thanks Serenity. I best get going, the limo's waiting."

Joey watched the mass of raven hair wave goodbye and scamper away down the hall. He turned back to his sister with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't know you and Mokuba got along so well."

Serenity giggled.

"Joey," she emphasized. "He's the friend I was talking about."

The blonde groaned.

"Does it have to be a Kaiba?"

"Joey!"

"Alright, alright. Let's get on."

The two siblings walked off of school grounds. Joey treated his sister to ice-cream before hailing a cab to drop them off at their respective places. The blonde had made sure his mother understood that he would pick up his sister and spend time with her every once in a while. The woman only relented because Serenity overheard and the young female exclaimed that it was a great idea. His younger sister may be growing up but she was still a little naïve at times.

The moment he'd arrived at his studio apartment he immediately threw himself upon his couch/bed. A single eye flipped open to gaze at his surroundings. It was simple, only the necessities filled his space. It was bare but it was home. The silence simply took some getting used to. A lot has changed.

The phrase propelled him back.

A lot _has_ changed.

Battle City ended in a literal bang.

The Kaiba's had created a panic when they'd gone missing after it was made clear that the island was set to blow. Joey had run around until the last minute, scouring every nook and corner over the horrible guilt he was drenched in.

Kaiba hadn't taken his refusal to duel easily. It had resulted, quite naturally, in a fierce shouting match that left both sides unsatisfied. The tall brunette had left the room after an angry announcement that he'd never hand over Obelisk to Yugi. All throughout his running around the blonde's heart had hammered with worry. He'd wondered if he'd somehow pushed Kaiba over the edge. Preparing to blow up an island they were all still on simply wasn't normal. A part of him wondered if he'd hurt the brunette. There had been a moment during their shouting where he thought he caught a glimpse of… something.

Yet all his worries had been for naught. The Kaiba brothers had popped out of the smoke in a Blue Eyes jet of all things. Mokuba waved a cheerful good-bye to them all. Kaiba had had no words for any of them. The brunette only fired a minute glare, flame-hot blue, as though wishing to burn a certain blonde.

Joey himself glared back, internally kicking himself for worrying in the first place, and kept at it long after the Blue Eyes jet had taken off and disappeared from view. He'd wished he could have taken his contacts out and glared at Kaiba with all the ferocity his real eyes could muster. Dealing with everyone's shock and needing to explain himself however wouldn't have been pleasant.

The entire gang shared happy good-byes with each other at the docks where they'd been dropped off. The Egyptians promised to keep in touch and Mai had pulled Joey aside for a private good-bye and a guarantee she'd stop by his job.

The blonde had a mock fight with Tristan afterwards when his taller friend teased him with kissy noises. Joey wondered about Duke's curious glance at him upon leaving Mai but brushed it off.

That night in the park had been better than usual or at least warmer than he'd expected. He spent the entirety of the following morning conducting a search and by evening he'd found himself a comfortable studio in a part of town much better off than where he'd grown up though it still belonged to the part of town reserved for the low-income. He'd thanked his lucky stars his fake ID held up. The day before the Battle City Tournament began his father decided to surprise him by taking off and not giving him any warning over the eviction scheduled for that same day. The blonde had only been able to stuff as much as he could into his backpack before leaving the run-down apartment and being grateful he'd been smart enough to keep more of his things in his school locker.

If Battle City hadn't come around when it did he knew he would have had to deal with everything right then and there but the tournament allowed him to push his problems to the back of his mind and deal with them bit by bit.

Joey sighed.

Yeah, things had changed but maybe it could be for the better.

He just never expected his father to up and leave like that. The man had never treated him _kindly_ but still, it hurt.

Man, it hurt.

Spying an eye at the clock he grumbled and forced himself up.

He had half an hour to shove food down his throat before he had to show up at work.

******************************************************************************

"Wheeler? What was that mutt doing there?"

"Seto, are you listening?"

Kaiba only gave him a look.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and continued playing his newest videogame. This was routine for them. As soon as Seto arrived home from work Mokuba would meet his brother in his home office. Contrary to popular belief, Kaiba wasn't at Kaiba Corp 24/7. Unless there was an emergency the brunette cuts his days off in the early afternoon. His home office boasted tremendous computing power and he could continue company work there if needed. Usually, Mokuba would come in, his homework already done, and play videogames while his older brother either worked on whatever may be needed for the company or blazed through his own (useless) homework. Other times, Mokuba would meet Seto at the office at Kaiba Corp whenever his brother phoned in and said he was due for a long night. It was how the brothers spent time with each other, most of the time at least.

"Serenity attends Ouran High Academy now. Joey showed up to pick her up."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize Wheeler's mother had that kind of money."

"She doesn't."

The brunette waited but Mokuba was focused on defeating the Boss he'd just encountered.

"Mokuba."

"Hang on!"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes having half the mind to pause the game. Ah, the perks of owning a multi-billion dollar gaming company. He had access to things others did not- like special overrides to mess with games. But, he'll wait. For Mokuba he'd wait.

"Sorry Seto, what was the question?" Mokuba asked within the minute.

Stormy eyes blinked up at him. Kaiba put on an amused smile. There was a light of curiosity shining in those large eyes.

"Explain," Kaiba demanded, deciding to skip through the nonsense.

Mokuba blinked.

"Well, Joey is paying for it."

"What?"

"Joey paid the first year's tuition already."

"How?"

"How?" Mokuba scrunched his eyebrows. "What do you mean how?"

"What do _you_ mean?" Kaiba returned. "Wheeler doesn't have that kind of money much less any money."

Mokuba pursed his lips.

"What about the Duelist Kingdom money?"

Kaiba lifted a brow.

"I thought that went to his sister's operation?"

"I figured there was some left over," Mokuba said with a shrug as he returned to his game. "What are we going to have for dinner?"

"Whatever you want."

Mokuba gave his answer as a happy shout but his older brother wasn't listening. Something just seemed… off.

He scowled.

Something was always off where it concerned the mutt. Just what was it about Wheeler? Why was he even thinking about that mongrel? Especially considering how they parted ways at Battle City.

Still, Kaiba couldn't help it. He liked to be in the know, always, and the mutt was a puzzle.

And he'd never come across a puzzle he couldn't crack. Literally, if he had to.

The thought brought out a vicious smirk.

****************************************************************************

"Was that Mai that dropped you off Joey?"

"Yup. I… uh… ran into her on my way here."

"What's she doing in Domino? And so early too?"

Shrug. "She was just there."

"Or maybe she's been here since last night." Wink.

"Tristan!"

The gang laughed.

"Pipe down brats!" a surly voice commanded from the doorway.

More than one pair of eyes blinked at the new figure. The hulking man walked up to the desk and appeared to eyeball every single one of the students. A grim smile took over the man's face.

"I'm your new substitute Mr. Andrews. I will be here for the next two weeks as Mr. Taka needed to take an emergency leave of absence. I expect every one of you to- HEY!"

Most of the students jumped at the unexpected boom.

"You! In the back! What do you think you are doing?"

A burly finger was pointed at none other than Seto Kaiba. The brunette spared a single, frosty glance at the man before choosing to ignore him and continue moving his fingers over his laptop's keyboard.

Stingy red peppered the man's face as he briskly walked up towards Kaiba. Everyone held their breaths as the man spoke.

"What do you think you are doing brat?"

Kaiba, unbelievably, ignored him as he was.

"You little maggot! Pay atten-"

The burning glare stopped the man, both in speech and in motion as he had reached out in an attempt to snag Kaiba by the collar. Joey felt himself flinch even though the hard blue gaze wasn't directed at him. The brunette scowled as he snapped his laptop shut and stood up. For all his bulk the man had nothing on Kaiba's height… or glare… or sheer intimidation.

"Take care how you speak to your betters insect."

Every word had been laced with a cold threat. It left goosebumps on most long after Kaiba took his leave.

Unfortunately, the burly substitute was a tad too dumb where he should have been a tad too fearful.

The class progressed, albeit with a heavy tension clinging to the air, right up until the end when shit hit the fan, again.

"Everyone understand the assignment? Good! Now listen up for your partners!" The man hesitated as he ruminated on the word prompting more than one confused glance. "Partners."

"You!" he barked, face lit up in ugly glee as he pointed to some poor, unsuspecting soul.

The student visibly sank in his chair.

"Ye-yes?" came the stutter.

"Who's the worst person for that Kaiba to be paired up with?"

"That's easy!" the boy returned in earnest as relief swept through him before he had the chance to crap himself. "It's Joey Wheeler! Everyone knows they hate each other!"

"WHAT?!" Joey sprang up out of his seat. "No way am I gonna be paired up with Moneybags!"

"Sit down boy!" the substitute roared back. "Do as I say or you'll be taking a trip to the principal's office!"

The blonde glared daggers and grit his teeth. Reluctantly, he sat down.

The day couldn't get any worse.

******************************************************************************

Several hours later the blonde was learning that hindsight is a bitch and fate might as well join her in that category.

Hating his life so very, very much at that moment he glared at the massive double doors with everything he had. His fingers were numb and he was fighting off shivers. The cold air stung his cheeks and nipped at his ears. He'd already knocked on the door and gave his name only to have the butler apologize to him and shut the door in his face.

Amber eyes blinked once.

Blinked twice.

Blinked three times before bursting into their present state, literal balls of fire.

_'Why can't he, just one time, not be such a jerk!'_

"Kaiba!" Joey roared. "You better let me in!"

The blonde began pounding on the door, his fist picking up speed as he went along.

"I'm serious Richboy! I don't have time for this! We got paired up for a project, we only have one week to do it, and I need that grade!"

The door remained closed.

"Kaiba! Come on!"

When there was still no answer the blonde kicked the door in frustration.

_'This is crazy!'_

"Kaiba! If you don't open up I swear I'll shave your head! I'll kick your lily- white ass! I'll break your windows! I'll convince Mokuba to become a drag queen! I'll tell your fan club you're into bestiality! I'll-"

A second.

It felt like in all of one second the door was thrust open by a fuming Kaiba who grabbed Joey by the collar and forced him inside all while re-closing the door and locking it.

"Would you like to explain to me what it is that you think you are doing mutt?"

The tone was even and it was only a little higher than a whisper but it was backed by a bone-chilling element that added another layer of cold numbness to blanket over the blonde. Joey was sure his teeth would start chattering soon. Of all times to misplace his coat! Why did he always have such bad luck?

He tried to keep his body from racking but he couldn't. His t-shirt was thin and his jeans were very well-worn. It was all the more telling that Kaiba didn't once smirk at his miserable state.

"We got partnered together for a project," Joey crossed his arms. "It's due in one week."

The hostility dropped a few levels. The azure eyes lost their ferocity but the glare remained.

The blonde shuffled his feet. He didn't know what else to say, what to do. But he was getting impatient- fast.

He hated it, feeling like this, incapable.

His eyes slid up, becoming defiant as he saw Kaiba was still staring at him. The emotion in those ocean blues was unreadable.

Their gazes held a few long moments. Joey felt a stir in his chest. It wasn't something he recognized and that… bothered him.

Almost at once Kaiba _'hn'd'_ and turned away. His long gait left Joey in a daze before he shook himself and followed after the taller teen.

The blonde opened his mouth, thought better of it, and forced it shut. He'd rather not talk to Kaiba at all if he could.

Instead he focused on the inside of the mansion itself. The brunette led him up a staircase that was smack in the middle of the entrance hall. The home lacked… color, but the lavish décor spoke of a wealth almost all could only ever dream of.

Joey didn't pay attention to the twists and turns as one hall became another. He'd always pictured the Kaiba mansion to be a depressing fortress kind of abode but it was actually kind of cool. The dark hallways he expected were instead brightly lit and boasted a large amount of objects in glass and portraits on the walls. It was like walking through a museum dedicated to everything Art, Games and History. Every piece managed to catch his own interest so Joey knew they would have had to have been carefully selected. Unfortunately, he could do no more than spare an admiring glance as he had to keep up with the brunette's longer strides.

The blonde almost bumped into said brunette as he was reading the name of a particular art piece. Kaiba had come to a stop before a set of double doors. The teen CEO slid his keycard in and quickly stepped through.

Just as Joey made to follow, he looked up and caught the quick smirk on the taller teen's face right before he proceeded to shut the door in his face.

The blonde's mouth dropped open as he felt an eye twitch.

_'What the fuck!'_

Joey growled, loud and proud.

He banged, kicked, yelled, and threatened.

Nothing worked.

Kaiba wouldn't open the damn door.

In the end the blonde gave up. He slumped down and leaned back against the doors. At least his frozen self was beginning to warm up. Trust Kaiba to have good heating.

He had been very cold to start with though.

The blonde shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, brought his knees up, and sunk down further into himself to conserve heat. If the CEO wanted to be a jerk then he might as well catch up on sleep.

Kaiba rubbed a hand over his face as his desktop powered down. He always overdid it on work on the few occasions Mokuba wasn't around. His little brother had recently made a new friend and was busy showing them off to his other friend. As long as he was home by midnight then it was okay by him. An indulgent curfew for a thirteen year old, sure, but he was being tailed by bodyguards and serviced by a driver with an extensive military background in spec ops. Young he may be, Mokuba was smarter than most and Kaiba trusted the men he had on his trail to keep his little brother safe. Heads would roll otherwise.

The brunette stood up, deciding to stretch his legs and go down to the kitchen for a glass of water. While he hadn't forgotten about Wheeler he hadn't expected to find the blonde slumped up against the door he didn't open, eyes closed and chest rising rhythmically in a show of sleep.

Kaiba sighed, something he wouldn't dare have done if the blonde was awake. He had been in a bad mood to start with when the mutt first showed up and didn't feel up to dealing with him. The mutt simply didn't know the meaning of no however so he decided to play with the dog a little and found himself smirking at his response. Wheeler's outbursts were always interesting. He fully expected the mutt to have given up and gone home though. He stared down at the pitiful state of the teen and gave in. With a shake of his head he cursed the mutt for being a bother even in his sleep as he turned back into his office and draped his trench coat over a chair. He walked back over to Wheeler and picked him up with relative ease. Ice-King he may be but he wasn't heartless.

Joey let out a moan of approval, head lolling to rest against his rival's shoulder and hand coming up to lay upon the wide chest. His warm breath tickled Kaiba's collarbone even through the turtleneck.

The brunette didn't hesitate in his steps though a frown marred his features. He set the blonde down gently on one of his plush couches (it pays to have the fine things). For almost a minute he hovered over the blonde, mind drawing alarming conclusions.

For starters the blonde was lighter than he'd expected, not starving light but still lighter than average even with the muscular build. He was also a shy cold to the touch which forcibly dragged a sense of guilt out of him. But the alarming part came from looking at the sleeping blonde himself. He'd never come across Wheeler when he wasn't yapping or drooling buckets when he fell asleep at school. This was almost a different side to the blonde. He looked… peaceful. Even to himself, Kaiba couldn't admit the true word. The golden hair needed a trim, the clothes cried for help, and the blonde needed a bath to scrub off the smudges of dirt but all in all, Wheeler was attractive. Though he loathe to admit it the damn mutt wasn't ugly. 

 _'Although,'_ Kaiba thought as he straightened himself. _'An attractive mutt is still a mutt.'_

His anger simmered as he glared down at the blonde sleeping on one of his couches in his home office. This is the same mongrel that cheated him out of his chance to gain Ra and changed the tables on him by throwing the win of Battle City his way. The same mutt that had been barking at him at all times before, hankering for a duel, a fight, a verbal spar; almost anything to draw Kaiba's attention his way.

Kaiba had finally given him that attention. The brunette had even looked forward to the finals, looked forward to their duel (to prove his superiority and gain Ra of course) and Wheeler had then decided to throw it all away. The mutt decided it wasn't worth HIS time.

Nothing had ever infuriated the brunette so much. How could Wheeler dare mock him? When had that come about, this change? Was it brought out by the conversation they shared in his private control room on the blimp? Or had it been festering since he saved the ungrateful dog from a watery grave back at the docks?

Did that mindless action of his change everything?

The brunette scoffed.

He was over-analyzing this. But, one thing was certain. Kaiba would be the one that won, in the end.

He took his coat and left.

******************************************************************************

Joey didn't recognize where he was when he awoke. He almost didn't want to leave the comfort of the couch or the thick blanket wrapped around him but he had to figure out where he was.

The pieces came to him slowly as he sat up, not unlike the lifting of a fog. He remembered the assignment, Kaiba's impeccable manners, and falling asleep against the doors. But, he hadn't awoken against those doors so why…?

Someone would have had to have carried him to the couch and thrown the blanket upon him. He ruled out Kaiba before the name truly came up. Maybe Mokuba? He hadn't seen him earlier but the mansion was clearly huge. He doubted the little guy could carry him though… but, maybe Mokuba stumbled upon him, took pity, and called in the help.

He nodded. Yeah, that made sense.

Getting to his feet he decided he might as well poke around.

The sight of the double doors gave him the guess that he was in the room Kaiba had denied him entrance to earlier, much earlier by the looks of it. The panel view of the windows clearly indicated it was late into the night. He could tell. Sleeping outside often gave one the ability to estimate the time almost correctly by the shade of the night.

He was in an office, of sorts. A large office/ gameroom/ lounge. The office part took up most of the space. The desk was centered in front of the largest window in the room, drapes currently drawn. It was distinctly L-shaped, the long part of the L a mess of several desktops and a single keyboard while the short side only held a stack of papers and folios neatly piled to allow for face to face interaction. The nearest wall was line with built in bookshelves and filing cabinets. The opposing side of the room held an immensely large TV screen with several game consoles hooked up to it and cocooned by a huge U-shaped sprawl of plush couches. That wall was lined by old-school arcade games.

Joey wasn't truly interested in much of all that at the moment, merely curious. He still had to find a way out. There was one thing though that caught his wandering eye. He picked up the picture frame that was on the desk and turned it to catch the spill of the moonlight. His breath immediately hitched.

It was a photograph of Mokuba and Kaiba. Or maybe… Seto was a better name in this instance. He certainly wasn't Kaiba in this picture. The two were young, real young. Kai- Seto couldn't have been more than 8 years old. The two were playing a game of chess with each other and both faced the camera. Mokuba had on a bright grin and Seto… was smiling. The little brunette had on a happy, genuine smile. He was so different from the surly teen he was today. That in itself made him wonder and feel a prickle of sadness but none of that was what caused his breath to hitch. It was the place the picture was taken. He recognized it. The picture was taken inside of an orphanage and not just any. It was _that one_.

The blonde set the photograph down gently. His silhouette was cast against the glow of the moon. He wasn't sure how he made it out but he managed to find his way through the front doors and left at a sprint. He arrived home in time to catch another sliver of sleep. The break in sleep completely ruined his cycle but it was better than nothing.

***************************************************************************

"Wake up mutt."

A flick to the forehead was a rude awakening. The sting caused his eyes to crack open blearily.

They fell to slits when he realized who it was that woke him. Mr. Stick-in-the-ass himself.

Kaiba didn't give him the chance to open his mouth.

"My place at 5:00 pm. We'll finish this in one go. Don't be late."

Joey glared at the brunette's back as he walked away to his own desk. Who was he to give him orders? He'd shown up yesterday, they could have been finished by now and out of each other's hair, but nooooooo.

He had to be stuck with the prick.

*****************************************************************************

"Sit down on the couch mutt. I'm just about done."

"I'm not a dog Kaiba," the blonde muttered angrily as he flopped down onto the same couch he'd awoken on in the wee hours of the morning. He stared at the bookshelf directly ahead. Kaiba was working at his desk to the left.

Joey couldn't help it. He got bored. He tapped his foot impatiently as his eyes roamed, taking in all the details he hadn't been able to focus on in the dark.

"Quit your staring Wheeler and come over here so we can get this over with," Kaiba snapped after a short amount of time had passed.

The blonde growled as he took his seat in front of the desk, as though he were in a meeting or an interview.

"We could have had this done by yesterday ya know."

Kaiba's glare warned him to shut up.

Too bad Joey wasn't the type to listen.

"Don't give me that Richboy, it's true."

"Pipe down mongrel or we'll never finish this."

The blonde bared teeth.

"Stop calling me a dog Moneybags!"

"What did I just tell you Wheeler!"

"Why don't you follow your own advice and shut your mouth Kaiba!"

"How dare you, you filthy ingra-"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Joey roared. "What gives you the right to call me whatever you want? What gives you the right to make fun of me! To degrade me!"

"Degrade? That's a big word for you, isn't it?"

"Enough Kaiba! Lets just get this done! I don't have all day!"

"I didn't realize dogs had so many places to be."

"I have work tonight you-"

"Tonight?" Kaiba sneered. "I wouldn't have thought you'd lower yourself to walking the streets at night."

"What is wrong with you?! I would never-" Joey's face reddened impeccably, more so than it already was. "That's not what I do!"

Kaiba sat back in smug amusement.

"Well then, _please_ , educate me in what it is that you do," he drawled sarcastically.

To the brunette's surprise the blonde flushed for a whole different reason and looked away.

"It's not your business Se-to."

That wiped the smirk off of Kaiba's face.

"Don't you ever call me that mutt."

Joey grinned maliciously.

"Is that so? Well, why not, Seto? Seto! Seto! Seto! Seto! Se-ommph!"

The blonde fell out of his chair and onto the floor. His hand sprang up to cup his cheek where Kaiba had slugged him.

"Ya bastard!" Joey screamed as he got to his feet and fired off a shot of his own.

Or, he tried to that is.

Kaiba caught his fist, switched his grip to the wrist, yanked the blonde forward, caught the other wrist and slammed the smaller teen back onto his desk. The brunette pinned Joey's hand above his head (though not together) and leaned over so the two could look at each other face to face.

Kaiba paused then as he had a… moment of confliction.

The brunette was a healthy seventeen-year old male. Translation- he got urges from time to time. He's never once acted upon them, but they existed. His control was great but it didn't reach far enough to prevent his hormones from acting up.

That being said the male was also gay. It wasn't a secret, not truly. He simply hadn't come out to the world. He didn't care enough to. Mokuba already knew so why did anyone else matter?

That however brings him to his present problem.

Kaiba was gay and currently had another male under him, one who was also gay and who'd the brunette had already admitted was attractive, deceptively so. The fact that it was the mutt normally would have caused an instant cease and desist action to his thoughts but the damn idiot wouldn't stop wriggling and had already, inadvertently, grinded his leg up against Kaiba's groin, _twice_.

For one wild moment, Kaiba pictured giving in to his urges. The mutt would surely never tell about their _escapade_. The challenge itself was enough to excite. He was sure a little seduction on his part would lead the two to writhing on top of his desk.

That is until he realized what he was thinking and who he was thinking about doing that with.

Joey on his end was partly scared and partly confused. Very few things could distract from anger, but lust was one of them. And that was lust he saw swimming in Kaiba's eyes. The blue hue had darkened to a color one normally couldn't find unless they dived down to the deepest reaches of the ocean. The look in those eyes brought out the blonde's own excitement and spiked his confusion.

The blonde wasn't dumb, not truly. Kaiba may be gay but he'd made it _painfully_ clear that Joey hardly qualified to lick crud off of his boots much less tempt him, so why…?

Kaiba shook his head and grit his teeth behind closed lips.

Damn.

Damn the mutt!

He was to do the cracking, not be cracked by his own hormones!

Eyes flashed to ice as they glared down into amber eyes.

Attractive enough to tempt him. Fuck.

Well, all is not lost.

Physical attraction wasn't too big a deal.

Now that he recognized it, admitted it- he could control it.

Kaiba smirked and in doing so realized another little tid bit.

The attraction went both ways.

Joey held his breath as Kaiba leaned down, keeping their eyes locked.

_'Oh man! What's he?!'_

The blonde froze as he felt hot breath tickle his ear. His heart slammed against his rib cage as he felt a twitch from below.

"Listen and listen well Wheeler. Don't you ever forget who I am or who you are. I'll do and say whatever I please. Now," he paused and moved in just the bit closer.

Joey bit back a moan.

_'Why is he doin’ this?'_

Kaiba's body was pressed up against his. He could feel the wide and thick muscles of the brunette's chest and legs press right upon his own. The CEO was more defined than he'd given him credit for.

The blonde couldn't deny it. Everyone could agree that Kaiba often boiled down to 2 things: a massive jerk and sexy as hell.

In their current position, one move from either could count as an attempt to hump.

"About our project, I'll keep it simple so even you could understand. I'll write the report and you provide the visual aide. Got it?"

At Joey's nod, Kaiba stepped off and back, letting the blonde go. Joey leaned up warily. His legs were shaky as he got to his feet.

He looked up to catch Kaiba watching him with a haughty smirk.

"What are you waiting for? Leave."

The brunette's smirk stretched as he watched the blonde spit fire out of his eyes and slam the door hard enough that it vibrated through the walls.

He'd had to make the mutt leave right then and there. When he'd backed off of Wheeler the expression on the blonde's face caused a fissure of heat to surge through his, ahem, lower regions. It took great effort on his part not to let his control slip.

Not until Wheeler slammed that door closed that is.

Kaiba sank into his chair and rubbed his face, keeping his hand planted there as he stared at the door through his parted fingers.

Damn…

*****************************************************************************

"Joseph Wheeler what is wrong?"

Shit. When Mai Valentine used his full name he knew that she knew something was up.

And were it any other person he would have automatically deflected the question and changed the subject. But, this was Mai.

"I'm a big mess Mai," he admitted.

The female blonde let out a whistle. She swept her legs up to settle them beneath her on the couch and lightly patted Joey's knee, who was sitting cross-legged next to her.

"Lay it on me sugar. It's best if you let it all out."

The male blonde sighed.

"It's Kaiba…"

 _'Of course,'_ the female thought in annoyance.

"… and my father and mother."

Her lips turned down at that.

The male leaned down to place his head in his hands. Mai moved her hand from his knee to rub soothing circles on his back.

"You can tell me," she whispered as she leaned closer.

"It still hurts that he left. He was never good to me, never, if the scars are anythin' to go by… but it was so unexpected. And to lose my home too. The place only holds bad memories but it's the only place I'd ever known. It was always at the back of my mind all throughout Battle City that I became a homeless orphan all in one go. And then my mother… she, ugh!" the male gripped his hair tight. "I had enough Duelist Kingdom money left to pay for Serenity's first year's tuition at Ouran Academy, her operation had used up almost all the rest. But then, when I went to explain to my mother that Serenity was going to go to Ouran Academy now she just begun yellin' at me! About how 'dare I put her daughter in danger and what a worthless ingrate I was like my deadbeat father and how she planned to get a restrainin' order on me in order to keep me away from her and Serenity."

Joey's body started shaking as anger pulsed off of him.

The female felt her own anger spike but she kept it in check, for now. Mai reached out and pulled the male's hands away from his head. He stared at her blankly but she only directed him to rest against her. His head landed on her lap and his body curled into a semi-fetal position.

Mai brushed his golden strands until he relaxed enough to continue.

"Serenity walked in after we stopped yellin' at each other and… I took advantage. I told Serenity that I'd just informed our mother about how she was going to go to Ouran Academy now and how we'd agreed I can pick her up from school every once in a while."

Joey smiled.

"Serenity was so excited that Ma couldn't fight it, especially not after she realized I was paying for Serenity to go to the best school around. But, she did give me the worst glare I've ever seen. Like I was filth."

"Joey, you're not filth."

The male laughed weakly.

"Tell that to Kaiba."

"What did he do?" Mai asked, barely keeping the ice out of her voice.

She felt him tense under her fingers.

"He just never stops. He makes it all worse."

Joey crossed his arms as he was, lying on his side with his head on her lap.

"Back durin' Battle City, when the others were missing and you weren't awake, Kaiba and I sorta talked."

The male blonde shifted so he could look up at her.

"He figured out I was gay and admitted he was too."

Her blond brows rose. _'Interesting.'_

"But," Joey's eyes shifted to a random spot on the ceiling. "He kinda ridiculed me for it, like I was something that was wrong and how I wasn't fit to lick his boots. He said it like I was interested in him and he was shooting me down, way down. And it happened again when we got stuck on that project together for school. He reminded me that he was Seto Kaiba and I was just Joey Wheeler."

Amber eyes welled but Joey wouldn't let them overflow.

"Nothing but a worthless, orphan mutt who'd never be good for anythin' or anyone."

Mai's hand stopped running through the golden locks.

She was furious, no, enraged, no!

Her anger couldn't be put into words, they couldn't describe how absolutely pissed she was.

How dare they.

How dare they!

His father, his mother, and Kaiba.

It's bad enough he has to deal with all the shit his parents put him through but Kaiba just _has_ to make it worse doesn't he? That stupid CEO. That idiotic-no good-fucking bastard! With everything that has happened, Joey was already fragile and Kaiba had to go and try to shatter him by chipping away at his self-esteem. And Joey had always had a low self-esteem to begin with due to his fucking parents.

She wanted to throttle every single one of those pieces of shit who'd hurt her Joey. To literally put her hands around their necks!

But one look at the male's face brought her back down.

_'Oh Joey.'_

"Worthless is it? Well, I suppose I am too."

"What?" Joey blinked. "What are ya talkin' about?"

Mai's violet eyes fixed him with a serious stare.

"You're not the only one that's been called worthless or that's an orphan or that's considered trash."

She placed a finger to his lips.

 _'Let me explain,'_ her eyes pleaded.

"You already know that I grew up with riches but very lonely. But, I never really told you about how back then I always listened and followed the rules like a _'good'_ little girl. My parents always reminded me that I was only as good as my worth."

She sagged her shoulders.

"I naively believed that they'd love me if I listened but when I grew up I saw none of it was real. When they tried to marry me off I left but not before they disowned me and told me I'd be nothing but worthless trash."

Mai bit her lip as she felt her own eyes swell with hot liquid.

"I was scared," she breathed out. "I was terrified that they were right. When I first ventured out into the world I was alone and hurting."

She paused to let a tiny smile tilt her lips.

"But, then I found Duel Monsters and gained my confidence. However," she shook her head. "I went all wrong about it at first. I was so determined to let no one hurt me I built a persona that wasn't real and kept everyone from getting close. And then I met you."

She ran a hand down his jaw.

"You broke down the fake and gave the real me life again. You did that and I'll always be grateful for it."

Her eyes narrowed as she took a hold of his chin.

"So don't you tell me you're worthless Joseph Wheeler. You're parents, my parents; they're the worthless ones, the ones in the wrong!" She gripped his chin tighter. "And Kaiba's just and ego-maniac who takes it out on others because on the inside that's how he feels himself. He's but a scared little brat."

She let his chin go to brush away the stray tears that leaked out of her eyes.

"You're better than them Joey. If you're worthless than so am I," Mai cracked a wavery grin. "And I know my goods are worth something!"

Joey stared up at her as a single tear trickled out of his eye and ran down to disappear into his hair above his ear.

"You're amazing Mai."

"And don't you forget it!" she responded causing them to laugh.

"Thank you," he said rubbing his nose on her thigh to illicit a tickle.

She smacked his head lightly.

"Anytime little brother."

The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

Joey's eyebrows rose.

"I- I," Mai clamped her mouth shut. She was flustered!

"You're a weird one," Joey said as he let out a genuine smile. "Big sis."

Mai's heart just might have exploded right then.

"You little brat," she chided as she tapped his head.

He laughed a bit. It was cut short as his eyes glazed over and he turned to look up at her nervously.

"There's a little more," he admitted.

Mai only gazed at him expectantly.

Joey rubbed his hands over his face. He could already feel the blush coming on.

"I'm attracted to Kaiba," he blurted.

"You like him?!" Mai shouted.

"What? No!" Joey looked at her as though she grew a third boob. "I just got… a little turned on when he got close, _real close_."

Mai couldn't help it, she laughed out-right.

"Gee, thanks Mai," Joey drawled. "Laugh it up why don't cha?"

She shook her head, willing her laughs to stop.

"You can't control attraction sweetie," she reached down and gave his hair a tug. "It's like trying to control who you fall in love with. But, unlike love, simple attraction tends to go away. Kaiba may be the world's biggest ass but the boy's got looks and that no one can deny."

Joey instantly brightened at that. His relief was obvious though a wicked grin quickly took over.

"Boy?" he chuckled.

"I'm 25 and he's 18. Yes, he's a boy," she confirmed with a smirk.

Joey laughed freely.

"I'm still 17 what does that make me?"

"My baby!"

They both erupted.

Joey rubbed at his eyes once he calmed down from all their laughter. He could always trust Mai to make him feel better, and vice-versa. He loved his other friends but he wasn't sure he could have this kind of conversation with them, especially considering they knew little of his personal issues and the fact that he was gay.

He glanced at the clock and slyly grinned up at Mai.

"I have work again tonight, you gonna come by?"

"Do you have to ask hon? And here I always thought you were innocent but you proved me wrong!" She winked. "If you weren't gay I would have ravished you toots."

"Mai!" he cried out with a blush as he got up and settled back into a sitting position. "Didn't we just establish a sibling relationship here?"

The female blonde laughed and decided to tease him. She laid out her best _'sultry, come hither gaze'_ upon him.

"We'll be naughty step-siblings then."

"Mai!"

*****************************************************************************

Joey shrugged on his school jacket and slipped on his sneakers. He took the red scarf Mai had given to him as an early birthday present (she decided she'd be touring Europe for a while) and wound it around his neck. He winced as the cold air threatened to wrap him in its embrace when he stepped outside. He fixed the scarf to cover the lower half of his face and plunged his hands under his pits to seek warmth.

Normally, he wasn't an early riser but when his bladder had woken him up early this morning he hadn't been able to go back to sleep when he slipped back under the covers. It was a rare occurrence, but occur it did.

With nothing to do the blonde headed out to school. He knew even with the lengthy walk he'd still arrive early. And, although he knew Kaiba tended to show up early he knew Tea would always showed up even earlier (she liked to catch up on study then). He figured he could bother her until all the others showed up.

At least it being that nasty substitute's final day was something to look forward to. Actually, nasty didn't even cover it when it came to describing Mr. Andrews.

The man took every chance he got to piss off Kaiba and Joey, the latter becoming a target after making the remark of "idiot fatheads so clogged up with mass they had no brains."

The teacher was hated by all but most especially by those two. He leered at the females and picked on the males but with Joey and Kaiba he went above and beyond. He sat the two together and forced them to share notebooks all to illicit their fierce shouting matches that gave him the authority to send them to the principal's office. He took every chance he could to humiliate them in front of the other students, something Joey paid for more so than Kaiba.

Unfortunately for Mr. Andrews, this behavior only took the first few days. After that the two teens ignored each other's existence to such a cold degree it spread worry throughout their classmates. That didn't stop Mr. Andrews. He continued to push each boy separately if he could not do so by bunching them together.

Joey yawned as he neared the classroom door. The past two weeks had felt considerably long. He paused outside the door to adjust his scarf so it no longer covered the lower half of his face. Then he stopped altogether.

Muffled shouting came from the other side of the door. Then came a crash that startled him.

He immediately swung the door open.

"TEA!"

The blonde burst into a run, fist cocked, and eyes blazing.

The last thing he expected to find when he opened that door was desks littered about, Tea held up against a wall, and Mr. Andrews pressed up upon her with a hand covering her mouth.

All Joey could focus on were the tears streaming down his friend's eyes and the unbelievably creepy face Mr. Andrews leered at him the moment he yelled.

Unfortunately for the blonde Mr. Andrews was no pushover. The massive man tossed Tea aside, whom screamed until she knocked her head against a desk corner rendering her unconscious. The hulking figure deflected Joey's fist and landed his own. The blonde cried out in pain when the fist connected with his face. The man followed it up by picking him up around the waist and slamming him to the ground with a sickening thud.

The slam thrust Joey's head against the floor causing his world to flash in blinding white pain for a few long seconds.

Mr. Andrews' punch to his gut brought him back before the white fully faded away. Joey instantly gasped and curled in on himself. His good eye flipped open to stare at Mr. Andrews with all the hatred he could muster as his head throbbed and his middle burned.

"Ya fuckin' bastard," Joey growled. "Ya fuckin' rapist bastard!"

Mr. Andrews' grin spoke of insanity, and not in the way Marik's had.

Beatings were nothing new to the blonde. He bit down on his lip, tasting blood, and choked back painful cries. That the blows landing on him hurt said something. He's built up a pretty high pain tolerance over the years.

“Bas-bastard.”

He blinked through the haze of pain. He could feel his strength returning, but what was the man doing now?

The man was… oh shit!

His hands shot up as Mr. Andrews took a fistful of his hair and smacked his head against the floor once again.

The blonde screamed in agony as he continued to try and fight back, empowered solely by fear and adrenaline. One of his fists lodged itself upon Mr. Andrew's nose giving him enough time to scoot back. His school coat hung on but his shirt had been cut to shreds and his scarf had been discarded.

Mr. Andrews let out a shout as he yanked Joey back to him and ripped the coat off. It was then Joey saw the glint of a knife.

"Well look at you," the man malevolently cackled. "Scarred all over the place. I'm not the first to have fun with you am I?"

"Get… off… of… ME!" 

Joey let out another piercing cry when the knife was stabbed into his right thigh.

“You took my other fun away,” Mr. Andrews eyes blazed. “So now I’ll have to settle for you.”

_'No! Somebody please! No! Stop!'_

His mind was trapped in echoes of past cries. True, horrific fear was clouding the blonde.

He punched and kicked, fought back with everything he had against the man that just wouldn't STOP! He couldn't make the man go away but he was able to keep him from getting what he wanted, barely.

Joey's eyes widened as he saw the cocked fist headed towards his face.

His eyes remained wide as a powerful kick connected with the man's face. The force behind it launched the man backwards causing his skull to crack horrifically against the wall.

The petrified blonde kept his gaze on the man; therefore he missed the newcomer's face, a face contorted in brutal outrage and revulsion.

"Wheeler."

There was no hint of ridicule in Kaiba's voice. His livid expression melted into his eyes.

The blonde's entire form was shaking. 

Kaiba crouched down and almost mindlessly picked up the stray red scarf. He took in the blonde's state: the torn clothing, the knife embedded in the thigh, the numerous scratches and signs of bruising to come, and of course- the horrified eyes still focused on the man.

"Wheeler," Kaiba repeated. "Wheeler."

He touched the blonde's shoulder hesitantly.

The shaking teen slowly turned to him.

"Kaiba."

The brunette tensed. The way Wheeler had said his name, he couldn't tell if it was meant in question or as if merely making an observation. Either way the broken quality was something he'd never come across in the blonde.

Tears sprung free from the amber eyes. Joey let out a heart-wrenching wail as he fell back and threw himself at Kaiba, clutching onto the brunette like the terrified child he once was.

Kaiba stared down at the blonde in shock. He didn't know what to say, what to do. Wheeler was clinging to him, sobbing onto his school uniform. His blue eyes took in the unconscious forms of Tea and Mr. Andrews. He didn't have the whole story but he was sure he could accurately guess at what happened.

_'Kaiba. Kaiba he knew. Kaiba was safe.'_

Joey's hands tightened their grip as his body shook uncontrollably.

_'Safe. Seto was safe.'_

"Seto."

The brunette's throat instantly knotted. He doubted Wheeler knew he'd said his name. Said it so twisted in pain and anguish… and fear. It was much the same way Mokuba would cry out for him when he'd wake up crying and screaming from a nightmare when he was younger. But, Wheeler wasn't Mokuba, neither was he young.

So why did each wail, each sob tighten a chain around his heart? Why did it spike his anger every time he heard it?

Kaiba couldn't help it. He wound his arms around his self-proclaimed rival, the one he always thought of with immense annoyance. His head came to a rest atop the golden mop, inwardly pleased as the sobbing quieted and the shakes calmed. Ice blue eyes burned holes into Mr. Andrews. The man would pay dearly, wish for death once he got through with him.

The brunette's arms unconsciously tightened when he gazed down at the blonde's back. He'd seen him shirtless once but didn't really take notice of his back before. He knew Wheeler had scars but the network of slash after slash that marred the blonde's back was phenomenal. He was surprised Wheeler didn't have back problems. They looked absolutely horrific. Who could have…?

This time around, Seto let out a growl. Had anyone been around they may have wet themselves over the sheer promise of pain laced in that growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Mai/ Joey interactions. After Battle City I wrote them off as sibling types because, well, I ship Puppyshipping and the way they interacted from there on served my purposes. 
> 
> Some might argue that Kaiba would never act as he did. I'd argue they just don't know Seto has compassion to give, it's not always shown (duh) but it is there.


	3. Into the Dragon's Lair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs featured are Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment” and Simon Curtis’ “Super Psycho Love.”

Joey screamed.

A top-of-his-lungs, scared-out-of-his-skin type of scream. 

At least it wasn't girly.

Yugi had invited him to the game shop to take a look at the new cards that came in. He just didn’t expect... this.

"What the heck is this!?"

Bonk!

"What do you mean what is this?" Tristan cried in exasperation as he got in Joey's face and shook him by the collar. "It's your surprise birthday party man!"

Tea shook her head. It would be Joey that would get freaked out by their screaming, _"Happy Birthday!"_ the moment he walked in.

"Okay Tristan," Tea cut in, placing a hand on him. "I think he gets it."

"What she said," Joey mumbled as he tried to steady his spinning eyes.

"Happy Birthday Joey," Tea repeated giving him a tight hug.

Joey shared her smile. Nothing like surviving a rampaging psycho to bring two people closer.

"Don't forget about the rest of us now!" Duke called as he lifted his drink. The raven smiled down at Serenity who came up next to him and clinked his glass with hers.

The action immediately set the blonde ablaze. He practically teleported to their side, a trail of fire left in his wake.

"You!" Joey spat, clutching at Duke's vest. "Who said you could give my little sister a drink!"

"Big brother," Serenity placed her free hand on one of Joey's. "He didn't give me anything. Besides, it's only soda."

Joey slowly turned back to the glaring green orbs.

"Ah haha haha… ha," he gulped as he let go of the vest. "Haven't seen ya in a while Duke! You look good!"

"Is that so?" Duke hinted with a flirty grin, which completely sailed over the blonde's head.

"Yeah, you look great!" Joey complimented good-naturedly.

The raven gave him a pat on the back though inwardly he couldn't believe Joey didn't pick up his meaning. One look at Serenity's sly smile told him she had. The raven shrugged and winked at her causing the female to giggle. Luckily for him, Joey had already moved on to receive his hug from Yugi.

"This is amazing Yug," the blonde proclaimed as he released his little buddy. "You didn't have to though."

"I wanted to," Yugi told him, chuckling at the bashful look upon his friend's face. "Happy Birthday again Joey."

"Hee hee hee." The blonde rubbed his hands together as he cackled. "How 'bout I say hi to the Pharaoh real quick?"

Yugi looked a little taken aback by the evil grin on the blonde's face but he was sure whatever he had planned the Pharaoh could handle. With a flash, Yami stood in Yugi's place. A simple smile graced Yami's lips. It vanished as he let out a squawk.

"Joey?!"

The Pharaoh looked perturbed from the glomp the blonde tackled him with. His scarlet eyes widened as he was picked up and twirled.

"It's my birthday Pharaoh! Finally 18! Aww yeah!"

Yami blinked absentmindedly once he was set back down. That was… new.

He aimed a careful smile at Joey. "Ah… Happy Birthday Joey."

"Thanks Pharaoh," the blonde scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry 'bout that. Just had to do it."

"Maybe a little warning next time?"

The blonde grinned.

"Got it," he responded with a thumbs up. The small prick of fear he felt earlier eased away. He wasn't truly afraid of the Pharaoh, not really. But ever since he learned the story of what happened back in the Shadow Realm he couldn't help but to gain a new respect for Yami. The ancient spirit had reverted a bit, back to his old ways, when he challenged Marik to a Shadow Game that included a thousand knives. Yami had exacted wrathful justice when he won and Marik had been stabbed to pieces.

Joey moved on, receiving more hugs from Ryou and Mokuba. The night dissolved away to a cacophony of games, music, and food.

The height and anxiety of the evening occurred at Tea's suggestion of playing Truth or Dare. The blonde had had to be restrained not once but twice as both Duke and Tristan swapped chaste kisses with Serenity. The raven was doubly threatened when he teased Tristan about kissing her first and laughed as the group struggled to restrain both the blonde and the pointy-haired brunette.

Serenity diffused the situation temporarily by admitting she's already had her first kiss. The stagnant silence after that was broken by Joey's demands to know who the pervert was but his sister refused to give them away. In the end, the blonde was only sated when he ended the game by having Tristan and Duke kiss each other. He waited till their eyes closed and lips connected before sneaking up to the them and just as they moved to break he gripped the back of their heads and kept their lips mashed together. The two ended up thrusting their tongues into one another as they tried to break from Joey's grip. The blonde let them go after 10 long seconds but not before moving behind Tristan and _'accidentally'_ pushing him onto Duke. He loudly told them to _"get a room"_ as he calmly walked back to his spot and sat down. Duke and Tristan wisely decided not to retaliate.

"Thanks again Yug," the blonde shuffled his feet. "It's the best birthday I've ever had."

The two hugged and shared gleeful smiles.

The knock on the door had Mokuba whooping as he ran to open it.

"Seto!"he cried as he swung the door open. The little raven hugged his brother from around the waist and hung on.

"It was so much fun big brother! Next time you have to come, like it or not! We played so many games and ate so much food and played even more games! It was really funny when Duke almost got his butt kicked and when Joey got cake all over his face and when-"

"You gave him a lot of sugar didn't you?" the tall brunette asked, fixing an indifferent gaze upon Yugi.

The short guy only laughed nervously in response.

It was all the answer Kaiba needed as he hoisted the hyper Mokuba up into his arms, nodded at Yugi, and walked off.

The blonde stood perfectly still. He hadn't moved a centimeter since he first saw the brunette. He might have moved, might have said something if Kaiba had in any small way acknowledged him. But the brunette hadn't. The blue orbs never once flickered his way. So he watched as the taller teen walked off. Kaiba was almost to his limo when he finally made a move.

"Kaiba!"

He didn't ignore him then. The brunette came to a stop.

"Mokuba, wait in the limo."

The raven-haired boy didn't need to be told twice. He jumped in and closed the door.

Sensing Joey and Kaiba would need some privacy Yugi closed the door to the game shop.  The sleepover would begin once Joey was finished.

Joey felt a rush of emotions as the CEO turned around to face him. It was only days ago that the brunette had saved him. This is the first time he'd seen him since.

Kaiba's eyes, they seared through him. Joey felt his nerves get the better of him. He kept expecting Kaiba to move to leave or say something insulting. But, he didn't. He only waited there, patiently.

The blonde swallowed. It wasn't often he didn't know what to say. It seemed a lot of those moments involved the tall brunette. Yet, as much as he was a man of words, he was also a man of action. Heart knocking against his chest he walked up towards Kaiba. Joey kept his gaze low as he stood before the taller teen.

Kaiba's eyes widened dramatically and he almost staggered backwards.

Wheeler was hugging him.

_Hugging._

_Him._

The blonde had crushed himself against him. Kaiba's arms hung in the air at his sides. Before he could decide what to do with them the blonde was already peeling away. Kaiba only registered the warmth the blonde had spread through him once it was taken away. He had felt Wheeler's heart pumping fast. His own heart had picked up its pace and he had to stop himself from reaching for the blonde. Where had that come from?

The amber eyes burned as they gazed up at him.

"Thank you," Joey told him, genuinely.

Kaiba kept his face stoic but behind the veil he was struck. Those were two words he would have never expected the blonde to say to him.

Joey decided this was a good time as any to walk away. He could only keep himself from flushing for too long.

"Wheeler."

The blonde stopped and turned back around. Kaiba stared at him for a few seconds before digging down into his white business suit jacket. Joey took that moment to admire the suit. It had to be the first time he'd ever seen the teen CEO actually wear a suit and damn if he didn't look good in it.

What? He was gay, give him a break.

The brunette pulled something out of his coat. 

"My scarf!" The blonde immediately ran up and took the scarf into his hands. His eyes glimmered.

"It was a gift," he said as he wound it around his neck. He aimed a happy smile. "I thought it was lost for good."

The brunette felt a little disturbed. Wheeler was supposed to fight with him, insult him, demand duels, squirm under him or be embarrassed by him. But smiling at him? The bright smile shot tingles through his chest, through his itching fingers.

Joey was happy but he began to fidget. He didn't understand why Kaiba was being so damn quiet. The ocean blues deepened in color. Kaiba was looking at him in a way he never had before. The blonde could only discern that it wasn't patronizing in any way. His smile grew wider. He's made up his mind.

"Hey Kaiba," the blonde ground out some confidence as he locked eyes with the brunette. "About all that's happened… forgive, forget and move on, yes?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes questioningly.

"Forget?"

"Yeah," Joey said, eyes hopeful.

He wanted to bury the hatchet. Kaiba was a jerk, most likely always would be but he always came through when one needed help. Joey wasn't the type to hold onto a grudge as he'd always been very forgiving. When he first met the brunette he'd hated him, both because he was an asshole and because the blonde had been jealous. Joey believed Kaiba to have everything and yet still saw fit to belittle others, especially himself. It's been a long time since then however, and while Kaiba did indeed have a lot he was missing a lot as well. The blonde wasn't dumb enough not to see that. He's made friends with difficult people before, maybe he could do the same with the brunette. Maybe.

Kaiba on his part didn't want to forget. The question itself confused him. What did Joey want to forgive and forget? What did moving on mean? All he could think about were the flashes of memories running through his mind. Joey defeating Marik, Joey bursting shirtless onto the scene, the blush that lit his face when Kaiba found out his sexual orientation, Joey's concern over Mokuba's welfare, Joey's refusal to duel him, Joey's face as he slept on his couch, the feel of Joey's body beneath his own, the desperate way Joey clung to him when he rescued him, the network of scars sprawling down Joey's back… the classified records he'd dug up on the blonde once his curiosity and need to know personality got the better of him.

He figured Joey wanted to forgive the bad they'd done to each other, but to forget everything?

The memories flashed once more. No, there were some things he could not forget.

"Forget all of it?" Kaiba asked, voice harsher than he'd meant for it to be.

The blonde's shoulders tensed. "Yes?"

Kaiba's lips thinned before dipping into a smirk. "You'll always be naive Wheeler."

"Uh… what?"

Joey felt anger pick at him as Kaiba shook his head with a laugh and walked away. A confrontation was prevented by the prevailing confusion that rooted him. He grumbled as he watched the limo roll away. Once a prick…

Kaiba smiled as Mokuba instantly tackled his side and made himself comfortable as he talked about all the fun he'd had. The brunette listened although his mind kept trailing back to the blonde more than once.

The night had taken a surprising turn. Wheeler had willingly and genuinely thanked him, hugged him, and smiled at him. All of which confused him as he found it didn't annoy him the way he thought it would. In fact… he liked it.

He couldn't help but to feel as though things were changing, again. He's saved the blonde, again. And this time around he didn't stop there. He'd hacked away and what he found now only gave him more questions than answers.

He'd wanted to crush Wheeler not too long ago. He'd wanted to gain a win over him that he could from then on lord over the blonde. Now, he wasn't sure what he wanted. The blonde was proving to be just as big of an enigma as he himself was. Few people could hold such interest, and there was still more.

His blue gaze looked down at the hand that wasn't circled around Mokuba. His fingers had been playing with one of the ends that had fallen off of Joey's scarf. For a moment the red thread reminded him of his mother. The beautiful woman had loved putting her sons to bed with fairytales. A particular favorite of hers was called **'The Red Thread of Fate'**. Due to what the story was about, he should have tossed the thread away with a sneer and thought of it no longer. But, he simply kept twirling it between his fingers.

******************************************************************************

"Send him in," Kaiba informed his secretary.

The doors to his office opened and a nicely dressed blonde walked in.

"Seto Kaiba," the man shook his hand. "It's a pleasure."

Kaiba resisted a scowl. Americans were always so familiar.

"Mr. Stevenson," the tall brunette returned.

"Let's get to it shall we?"

3 hours later discussions were over and papers were signed.

The platinum blonde let out a whistle. "That sure did take forever!"

Kaiba complacently agreed.

"Say, now that the preliminary work is over how about we go celebrate? I've heard Domino's got a major hotspot one should not miss."

The brunette's brows furrowed. Whatever Stevenson believed was great was sure to include a lot of booze and a lot of nudity. Normally he'd refuse but the shimmer in the forest green eyes was ominous. The man before him may be in his twenties but he was crucial towards setting up Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land in America. He could't afford to upset him, not while they were still getting the preliminary work under way.

In the end Kaiba agreed but set a time limit on his part. He had the sense that **'The Dragon's Lair'** was going to be a waste of his own time and annoy the shit out of him to put it nicely.

******************************************************************************

It wasn't that bad. That's about the highest level of praise Kaiba could give.

They sat in the VIP section (of course), the shadows doing well to conceal them. The entire lounge was dimly lit, save for the bright lights focused on the stage and the glowing centerpieces on the tables that allowed just enough light so one could eat and drink.

It was a club. A club that catered to the elites (the rich, the powerful, the famous). Kaiba had recognized more than one face as he'd entered and been seated. He could at least find solace in the fact that the paparazzi won't bother him here. The last time he'd been dragged out to celebrate for business purposes, the teen CEO wound up in a strip club and the press had had a field day. His monstrous headache throughout the entire ordeal had made him even less pleasant to deal with than normal. He'd only just managed from punching Wheeler (though not from shoving him into a wall) when the idiot dared ask him why Kaiba hadn't bothered to invite him along.

He was still nursing his first drink when a leather-clad waitress came up and handed Stevenson his third. He sneered as he watched the platinum blonde hand the woman a generous tip with one hand and gave her ass a squeeze with the other.

"Oh man," he nudged Kaiba with his elbow. "Is this place worth it or what! The females are luscious and the men are scrumptious."

His green eyes leered at the male waiter that passed by, outfit consisting of leather pants and a shackles that chained the choker on his neck to those on his wrists.

Yeah, it was that kind of club. At least it wasn't a strip-club. Or a whore house.

"Ah! The babe is leaving the stage," Stevenson commented as the singer shook her goods one final time, smiled, and left the stage.

"She'll be followed by another soon enough Stevenson," Kaiba remarked, finishing the last of his drink. A waiter came up to him only moments later. Kaiba ordered another drink and watched the waiter walk off. The young waiter had laid his flirtations on thick. He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't all that special either. It took more than that to temp him.

The image wasn't entirely surprising as it surfaced but it was unwelcome, at that moment. Lust in liquid amber eyes. Kaiba willed the memory away with a scowl.

"Any interest you Kaiba?"

Icy blues flashed to meet Stevenson's coy grin.

"Do any of the staff interest you?"

Kaiba scoffed. "I know what you meant Stevenson."

The man's grin stretched. "Well?"

"Of course not," Kaiba blew out. "They're not to my standards."

"Ouch," Stevenson laughed. "I almost feel bad for them. How many people must fall at your feet and get trampled on I wonder."

"They're not worth my time."

Stevenson laughed once more. Whatever he was about to say was disrupted by the shutting off of all the lights. Everyone in the vicinity focused on the single spotlight that hit the left side of the stage.

"Our esteemed guests, it's that time of the night," a disembodied voice announced. "Our star performer is ready to come out and play."

The voice laughed richly. "For those of you new to **The Dragon's Lair** , all you have to know is that this sexy fiend has been quite the show-stopper. He's treating you all tonight to _Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment_."

The announcer paused. "Ladies and gentleman. Please enjoy, **Katsuya**."

A figure in black stepped through the spotlight for a brief moment before it clicked off. His momentary presence set off a cacophony of calls, jeers, and whistles.

The music began, and the dark figure swayed in the flashes of light that hit the stage. When the beat picked up the individual popped open his leather jacket, teasing the crowd with a ripple of muscle. Kaiba's scowl dug in deeper at the sound of the female patron's undignified shouts.

_So hot, out the box_

_Can we pick up the pace_

_Turn it up, heat it up_

_I need to be entertained_

_Push the limit, are you with it?_

_Baby don't be afraid_

_Imma hurt ya real good baby_

 

The leather jacket came off entirely as the singer swung it off and over behind him. Spotlights hit the stage and the male was now revealed.

Kaiba didn't pay much attention to the noise level that hit the roof. This particular performer was different. He couldn’t figure out why. The swear Stevenson let out seemed far away.

**Katsuya's** heart-stopping red orbs blared out, enhanced all the more by the thick black eye-liner. His jet-black locks fell neatly, framing the planes of his face. His sun-kissed skin was delicately painted by an intricate pattern of dark ink. The leather pants were unbelievably tight; showing off strong legs, slight- almost feminine hips, and an attractively fleshy ass. His hands were bandaged up to his elbows. Overall, **Katsuya** was dark and sexy, made painfully more so by the suggestive yet tasteful dance moves and the sinfully alluring singing.

_Let's go, it's my show, baby, do what I say_

_Don't trip off the glitz that I'm gonna display_

_I told you, Imma hold ya down until you're amazed_

_Give it to ya till you're screaming' my name_

 

**Katsuya** danced towards the back of the stage and put on a sexy smirk as he ever so slowly strolled towards the front, light focused on his face and upper body.

_No escaping when I start_

_Once I'm in I own your heart_

_There's no way to ring the alarm_

_So hold on until it's over_

 

He reached the front and danced across the front of the stage. 

_Oh!_

_Do you know what you got into_

_Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do_

_'Cause it's about to get rough for you_

_I'm here for your entertainment_

_Oh!_

_I bet you thought I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_But I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for you entertainment_

 

Kaiba crossed his arms and legs. His icy gaze had yet to leave the swaying singer.  He'd be lying if he said the singer hadn't aroused certain urges. **Katsuya** was gorgeous and he dominated the stage. Every move was met with complete confidence.

He almost barked a laugh when he glanced at Stevenson. The usually composed and collected man was practically salivating.

A leather clad female and male met **Katsuya** on the stage. The singer was briefly sandwiched between the two before he pushed them away. The male and female danced around him, clearly begging for attention.

_'Sall right_

_You'll be fine_

_Baby I'm in control_

_Take the pain_

_Take the pleasure_

_I'm the master of both_

_Close your eyes, not your mind_

_Let me into your soul_

_I'm gonna work it 'til your totally blown_

 

**Katsuya** grabbed the chain connected to the male's neck and yanked him to him, using his other hand to run it across his chest.

_No escaping when I start_

_Once I'm in I own your heart_

 

He forced the man away and yanked the woman to him next. He pulled her flush against him, hands outlining her hips. 

_There's no way to ring the alarm_

_So hold on 'til it's over_

 

**Katsuya** pushed her away, leaving the two to dance around him, though at a further distance as he focused on the audience.

_Oh!_

_Do you know what you got into_

_Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do_

_'Cause it's about to get rough for you_

_I'm here for your entertainment_

_Oh!_

_I bet you thought I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_But I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for you entertainment_

 

There was a short lull in the singing in which **Katsuya** stepped off of the stage and engaged the patrons seated nearby. He never touched any. He merely hovered, smirked, and danced around them.

Kaiba almost wished he wasn't in the VIP room. It would have been interesting to see **Katsuya** try to seduce him as he was with those fools. The patrons the singer was interacting with stood no chance.

One lucky female, the eye-candy of a much more elderly male was the one **Katsuya** focused his next words on, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

_Oh!_

_Do you like what you see?_

_Ohhhhhhhhh!_

_Let me entertain ya 'till you scream_

 

Kaiba chuckled to himself as **Katsuya** made his way back to the stage. If the elderly male hadn't been so busy eye-fucking the performer he may have been bothered by the fact that the gold-digger on his arm looked like she'd just wet herself.

**Katsuya** faced the audience once more. His lithe muscular form undulating only slightly.

_Oh!_

_Do you know what you got into_

_Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do_

_'Cause it's about to get rough for you_

_I'm here for your entertainment_

 

**Katsuya** brought a hand up and bit down on a piece of bandage sticking out. He pulled with his teeth and the whole thing unraveled. As he sung the last part of the song he threw the bandage around the nearest patron, a business man who looked to be in his late twenties. The bandage fell around his shoulders behind his neck and when **Katsuya** pulled the man stood and quickly glued himself to the side of the stage where **Katsuya** crouched, one hand gripping the bandage tight in a show of dominance as he sung.

_Oh!_

_I bet you thought I was soft and sweet_

_You thought an angel swept you off your feet_

_But I'm about to turn up the heat_

_I'm here for you entertainment_

 

The song faded as **Katsuya** stood up with a deliriously sexy smirk. The man hung onto the bandage he had let fall at his feet. The singer soaked up the attention for a few brief moments before the lights clicked off.

When they clicked on again, **Katsuya** was nowhere to be seen.

******************************************************************************

"What do you mean?!"

The waiter looked very uncomfortable, probably because his wrist was caught in a strong grip. "I apologize Mr. Stevenson but **Katsuya** will not join you no matter what you offer."

The grip tightened and the forest green eyes flashed. The waiter hurriedly blurted out the rest. " **Katsuya** is a singer, that is all. He doesn't wait tables, he doesn't play host, he doesn't strip, nor can he be bought for some… uh, alone time."

The grip loosened and then slacked off. Stevenson drew himself back.

"And why is that?"

"I do not know sir."

Stevenson hmphed. "Well, what is his real name then?"

"That, I also do not know sir."

"You don't know much do you," Stevenson whispered out venomously. It was said more as a statement than a question.

The waiter's eyes widened in incredulity as he recoiled.

"You may go," Kaiba announced to which the waiter gave him a grateful smile and scampered off. The brunette's eyes slid to Stevenson's form. "Well, looks like you won't be having **Katsuya** after all."

Stevenson's minute glare melted away as a grin took over.

"On the contrary," the platinum blonde began. "The fact that he'll be difficult to seek makes him all the more worth the while."

Kaiba couldn't keep from snorting at the arrogance.

"Tell me Kaiba," Stevenson directed his grin towards the brunette. "Did **Katsuya** garner any interest from you?"

Kaiba's eyes were cool as a smirk tugged his lips. "Somewhat."

"How about a wager then?"

The brunette's brow rose.

"I'm going to be extending my stay in Domino. **Katsuya** has… sparked my interest, and I always pursue my interests. I can tell he's got to you as well," Stevenson's grin turned malicious. "Let's see who gets him first, yes?"

Kaiba glared. "What makes you think I want to participate in this little game of yours?"

Stevenson shrugged.

"We both know Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land will branch out to America, but I know you may not gain the approval to allow orphans into Kaiba Land for free in the States. We Americans are quite the capitalists you see. However," his eyes locked in. "I can help pave the way for that to happen, should you win our little game that is."

The man smiled smugly. "So, interested?"

****************************************************************************

Joey toweled his hair off with a yawn. Late night showers always made him sleepy for whatever reason. He checked himself out in the mirror, making sure none of the ink or the make-up remained on his skin.

Satisfied, the blonde brushed his teeth, studiously avoiding his red gaze in the mirror. He clicked the light off and yawned again as he walked off. He ran a hand through his blonde mop as he slumped down onto his couch. His job consisted of a single performance a night, several nights a week. But, between hair and make-up, picking out songs, dance practice, and coming up with concepts for his songs- it all made for very tiresome work.

His singing, his eyes; both he'd always kept a secret. When he was young his father sprung for his contacts but that had been before booze truly became his life. Luckily for Joey, he was 12 around the time that occurred and smart enough to work odd jobs until he turned 14 and was able to work part-time in order to keep affording his contacts.

The blonde sighed. He liked his job, he did. Singing came as naturally to him as Duel Monsters, although the dancing took some getting used to. He chuckled at the thought that no one would ever suspect him of being able to sing considering his speaking voice. The transition was easy for him though, somehow.

And tonight he'd put on his best performance by far. He knew it was one he'd have to do every once in a while from now on. The patrons had loved it.

At least no one tried to feel him up.

He shivered despite the fact that he was curled up quite snugly under his blanket. The blonde didn't like to be touched in _'that way.'_ There was a big difference between friendly contact and sexual advances. It had to do with his phobia, a phobia which came up with the incident with Mr. Andrews. If Kaiba hadn't come along…

Joey buried himself deeper into the couch. The gratitude he felt towards the brunette was overwhelming. It was bigger than anyone would ever really know. He knew his attempt to set things right between them wouldn't have worked but he'd had to at least try. What irked him was the he wanted to do more. There had to be _something_ he could do for Kaiba. The blonde wasn't one to not repay a debt.

But, he wasn't sure how to approach it. Especially now when he realized something quite mind-boggling the other day. For all his fear not once did it grip him by the throat when it concerned Kaiba. And he would have had a legitimate reason to freak out considering the time Kaiba had pinned him against his desk, hands above his head, and bodies pressed together as those blue eyes flickered with lust.

He wasn't sure what all that said, about him or about the brunette. It confused him. Even now the memory of having the gorgeous brunette on top of him only brought excitement.

It was only by thinking of Tristan in a thong that he was able to brush the memory away and allow himself to sink into sleep.

***************************************************************************

SLAM!

"Red Eyes!"

The entire class erupted into laughter.

"Mr. Wheeler," Mr. Taka called as he picked up the book he dropped on the blonde's desk. "I suggest you wake up and pay attention."

The blonde grumbled as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. He felt a tug on his sleeve. Large, purple eyes stared up at him when he turned to his right.

"You okay Joey?" Yugi asked.

"M'fine," Joey yawned. "Just tired."

His cheesy grin hid his lies. He wasn't fine and he was feeling a lot more than just tired. Shocked to the core and dead on his feet was more like it.

At least this was one of those days the tall brunette decided he wasn't going to attend school. Thank Ra (or Yami) for small miracles. He wasn't sure he would have been able to keep himself from staring at Kaiba and exploding into a full-body blush if the teen CEO had come.

He was still in denial over what had happened. And yet, the memory of the previous night came to mind. Hot blue eyes, a devilish smirk, pale hands giving him light touches…

_No!_ Stop there. Oh… gods, no.

Ryou's eyebrows shot up as he leaned over towards Tristan. "Is that… steam coming out of Joey's ears?"

Hazel eyes glanced at the fidgety blonde. Tristan shook his head.

"Yup," the pointy-haired brunette divulged.

Chocolate eyes filled with slight worry as they settled on the blonde once more.

Tea heard the whisperings among her friends. She too had noticed Joey seemed a little more out of it than usual but resorted to corner him and ask him all about it once the school day was over.

It was the final class of the day but it seemed to stretch longer than all of the others put together. At least it felt that way to the blonde. He was ready to leave _hours_ ago.

When the bell rang the blonde immediately shot up out of his desk.

"Woah man," Tristan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Relax."

"What are ya talkin' bout?" Joey grinned a little too widely. "I'm so relaxed I'm about to melt into a puddle of goo."

He got more than one blank look at that.

"Joey?" Yugi asked.

The blonde cursed himself silently. That wasn't what he meant! Although, he certainly did feel like he was going to melt into goo.

"Joey, I think we-"

"Well! Will you look at the time!" Joey cried, cutting Tea off. He slung his backpack on. "Sorry guys but I have to go. Can't be late to work ya know."

The blonde waved frantically over his shoulder and made his way to the door.

Too bad there was an obstacle blocking his way out.

Smack!

"Yeoww!"

Joey rubbed his cheek and looked up, right up into glimmering eyes.

"Well, hello to you too."

Devlin's voice at the moment was a little less than smooth.

"Sorry Duke."

"You might want to pay attention to where you're going," the raven told him.

"Alright, alright," Joey said, waving him off.

"Joey," Tea called as she came up towards the blonde.

"I go-gotta go to w-work," the blonde stammered quickly and made to sprint out of the classroom.

The raven reached out and grabbed the back of Joey's collar, effectively stopping him from getting away.

"If that's the case let me offer you a ride. You'll get there quicker," Duke smiled. "Let me just get my homework. I was stuck in a meeting so I had to miss school."

"Uh, you don't have to?"

"Nonsense!" Duke reassured.

"He never offers us rides," Tristan said as the raven spoke to Mr. Taka.

"I've gotten a ride before," Ryou put in.

"What?!" Tristan barked. "Why not us too!"

"Are you really going to argue over this?" Tea asked with a shake of her head.

Yugi only smiled at everyone's antics.

"Come on Joey, lets get you to work," Duke pushed Joey out the door. "We'll see you guys later!"

"Bye guys!" Yugi waved cheerfully. His expression became solemn once they were gone.

_'I hope you can help Joey,'_ the short guy thought.

****************************************************************************

"Sooooo…"

Joey didn't like silences. He peered over at Duke with befuddled eyes. Duke's eyes flickered to him. The raven smirked as he changed lanes.

"What?"

The blonde scratched his cheek. "I don't actually have to work right now."

"Oh," Duke's smirk deepened. "I know that."

"What?!" Amber eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I can read people pretty well," Duke glanced at him. "I know you were lying about needing to go to work."

The blonde blinked.

"Then why did you offer me a ride?" Joey asked.

"I've been curious about something."

"Huh?"

Duke only grinned in response.

Joey crossed his arms. "Then where are we going?"

"Early dinner," the raven answered.

"Now you're talking my language! Where we eatin'?"

"You'll see."

They kept the conversation light until Duke pulled to a stop. Joey hopped out of the car only to stand before a short man.

"Uh, hi?"

The man's eyebrows rose.

"Here you are Jacobs," Duke said as he tossed his keys to the valet. Jacobs, the valet, nodded and drove off.

"Woah, what is this place?" Joey asked as he looked at the grand building before them.

"It's Cuvee."

The blonde recoiled and began to sweat. "Isn't that suppose to be a really fancy place?!"

"Yup," Duke affirmed as he chuckled at his friend's expression. "It's my treat so lets get in."

The raven dragged the blonde inside, got them a semi-private table, and coached the blonde on the menu items and the proper usage of the silverware as they sipped on their drinks.

"I still don't get it. Why would you need two different types of spoons and three different types of forks. It so dumb."

Duke thrust a hand to his face, only just keeping from banging his head against the table.

"Never-mind the why Joey just know that they do. Can you at least try to use them correctly?"

"I guess," the blonde murmured noncommittally as he twirled one of the spoons in the air. Honey eyes slid to find glittering green. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

The raven lifted an eyebrow although the tilt to his smirk was enthusiastic in nature.

"I can tell when someone wants something from me."

Duke laughed.

"Yes, I should have figured that one," the raven paused as the waiter came up and took their orders. "It's as I said before, I've been curious about something for a while now."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Something you've shared with Mai, but not with the others."

The blonde tensed.

"What do you mean by that?" Joey quickly asked.

Duke's face remained impassive.

"Like I said, I'm pretty good at reading people," Duke kept his eyes on the blonde. "I'll be honest and say I don't know everything that you're hiding, but I have managed to pick up a few things."

"What do you mean Duke?" Inside, Joey's stomach twisted up. He now knew what Duke was insinuating but he didn't know just _how much_ he knew.

Duke ignored the question. "What I really want to know, is why you haven't told them."

"Them?"

"Yugi, Tristan, Tea, Ryou. All of them. Why haven't you told them? Or is your rock-solid friendship not as great as I thought it was? Are you lying to them?"

Joey banged a fist on the table. "I''m not lying to them!"

Duke ignored the curious stares of the other diners.

"Lying by omission then," the raven conceded.

The blonde looked like he was going to argue but instead unclenched his fist and sunk into his chair.

The raven frowned at the blonde. He wasn't trying to put him not he spot. Duke only wanted to help. Eventually their friends will pick up on what's going on. The fact that Joey was keeping things from them was big. He just wanted to prevent the disaster that could potentially take place.

"I'm not trying to hound you Joey. It's as I said, I'm simply curious. But if it appeases you, I'll let you know what I do know."

His green eyes held the brown orbs.

"I know you and Mai are close but not for the reasons everyone else may believe, one of those reasons being that you play for the same team. I also know there's more going on between you and Kaiba."

The blonde swallowed.

"Is that all?" Joey asked carefully.

"It's all I can confidently state as true," Duke acknowledged.

Joey sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. The blonde then chuckled. "You're a sharp one, ain't ya?"

"Of course I am," Duke returned smugly.

They paused once more as the food arrived. Duke sweat-dropped as he watched Joey immediately vacuum up the first dish.

"Wow! That was great!" Joey exclaimed.

Duke's eye twitched. "One more meal. You got one more dish and that's it! I said I'd treat you but I'm not breaking the bank just to feed your black hole of a stomach."

"Psshhh! I don't eat THAT much!"

Duke's brow lifted.

"Okay, maybe I do."

Duke sighed and waved a waiter over. Joey ordered another meal and turned back towards the raven. Duke had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Why haven't you told the others what I've learned? I know there's more as well but you can tell them this at least, right?"

The blonde looked away from the piercing gaze. Even when Duke didn't mean to his eyes still held a hard edge to them. He looked back up and smiled at the raven.

"What?" Duke asked in response to the smile.

"Nothing. I just never would have thought I'd have this talk with you."

A smile spread on the raven's lips as well.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he reached out to touch Joey's arm. "Honestly, you're under no obligation to tell me anything, but I'm here if you want to talk. Though, if you want my advice, I think your friends deserve the truth."

"I know," Joey clenched his hand on the table. " I know they do. I just..."

The blonde took a breath. "I will tell them, I plan to. It was just something that was so hard for me to come to terms with. It happened during Duelist Kingdom… because of Mai. She's the first female I've ever gotten close to… in _that_ kind of way I guess."

He paused to look into Duke's eyes.

"I've always liked girls. I've always found them attractive and loved to tease them but… I got close with Mai, and I started to realize some things because of that."

Joey shook his head and briefly paused a final time as he inhaled his second meal.

"She saw right through me," the blonde said with a light laugh. "She figured it out before I even did. We became really close because she helped me through my denial. I didn't want to believe it, not at all. But Mai, she offered a kiss and I tried but.. not even a simple kiss. I couldn't get myself to do it… and that terrified me so much."

"Mai helped me realize I was only scared of being gay, not that I had any actual problems with it otherwise. My life in a gang, my father's remarks about gays- all that set me up to bury a truth of myself I didn't even know existed. But Mai helped me put all that behind me so I could be honest with myself…"

Duke closed his eyes.

"But admitting it to yourself is different from admitting it to your friends," the raven concluded as he flipped his orbs open.

"Yeah," the blonde quietly agreed.

"We could tell them together then."

The blonde's eyes widened. "You mean?!"

"Yeah," Duke confided, eyes glimmering.

"But you always have girls hanging off of ya!"

"Doesn't mean I want to date them," the raven replied with a shrug.

Joey's shocked face deadpanned.

"Wow," was all the blonde could make out.

"Come on," Duke said and the two got up.

The raven left money on the table and they left. As they exited through the entrance Joey pushed Duke towards the side, away from the restaurant and the valet. The raven looked at him in question at this.

"I just wanted to say thanks real quick," the blonde hugged him. "You're a great friend."

Duke hugged him back with a genuine smile. "Thanks, and so are you."

"Devlin, you disappoint me. I didn't think your taste was so poor."

The two friends immediately sprang apart in shock.

"Kaiba!" the both yelled.

The tall brunette only stood a few feet away. His smile was smug though it did little to take away from the frigid look in his eyes. His companion was only a mere inch shorter in stature than the brunette. His long platinum blonde hair was slicked back exposing a handsome face with forest green eyes. Like Kaiba he too wore a suit though it was black and dark green to Kaiba's blue and white.

"You're so harsh," the platinum blonde stated to the brunette.

"More like blind," Duke interjected.

Joey swallowed thickly. He could feel the flush on his face. He had expected today to be a Kaiba-free day! And that other guy, the business man from America was here too! What rotten luck!

They're the reason he had been freaking out since last night. Imagine the blonde's surprise when the owner of **The Dragon's Lair** requested he work on his night off for triple the pay and perform his hit, _For Your Entertainment._ To his continuing shock he was told the place had been bought out for the night by two business moguls, none other than Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corp and Eric Stevenson from America.

It was lucky for him he knew this ahead of time and prepared himself as he was slipping into his **Katsuya** persona. Though his heart thudded and his insides squirmed from nerves alone he went on with his performance. For almost four minutes he kept his face smug, flirty, and vivacious as he danced around and sung to the two. When it was over he practically sprinted to his dressing room and slumped to the floor in a heap; taking deep, ragged breaths.

He saw the game the two had concocted. They wanted him, they wanted **Katsuya** , but only one would get him. It was obvious in their mannerisms. They were competing, for him. If the look in their hungry eyes, their whisperings in his ears, and the light touches they sneaked in wasn't enough- then the fact that they both left their contact info for him said it all.

But all their little game did was shock and anger him. How could they believe he could be won over just like that? Clearly they had no idea who they were trying to mess with, not by a long shot.

But... damn it. Damn it if Kaiba hadn't ensnared him. He seriously thought about taking the brunette's offer, even as **Katsuya**.

Those thoughts stayed with him long after he'd left work and arrived home. He'd only taken the memories with him and left the info behind in the end. He wouldn't allow himself to be used in their little game, but he was worried. He couldn't get Kaiba out of his damn mind! Stevenson didn't have a chance in hell next to the teen CEO. But Kaiba…

If he wasn't careful he wasn't sure what could happen. Even in his alter ego of **Katsuya** , Kaiba still managed to flood his senses, to make him feel with abandon.

Their game wasn't over, he knew that. But how long could he hold out from the brunette's attentions? He'd never had such a strong reaction to another person before. Could he keep from giving in to Kaiba's wishes? If he didn't, the brunette could figure out who **Katsuya** really is. He was positive Kaiba would hold it over him somehow. Or possibly ruin his job.

No. He couldn't allow any risks. If only the memories didn't make him blush, as he still was right now.

"Petty little comebacks as well? Devlin, you are falling."

"Still with the petty little fights? Kaiba you haven't changed," the raven returned.

"Why would I need to change?" Kaiba remarked, icy gaze causing the raven to fight off a shiver.

"You'd be doing everyone a favor if ya did," Joey finally put in.

Stevenson blinked.

_'That accent,'_ the American mused.

"Oh, you got something to say now Wheeler?"

The blonde fought his flush as he smirked up at the taller figure. It was a **Katsuya** smirk. Joey was internally satisfied as he saw the brunette's eyes narrow. _'Try as you might Kaiba but you won't be able to figure out why it's familiar.'_

"I could do more than just say Kaiba."

"My, my. Such interesting people you know Seto Kaiba," the American cut in. "A pretty boy raven and a feisty blonde."

He walked up towards Joey and Duke and eyed them up and down. Decision made he grabbed Joey's hand and to the surprise of all, placed a kiss on the back of it.

Joey looked a cross between wanting to punch the guy and wanting to scream his head off.

"So rough around the edges and yet…" Stevenson sent the golden blonde a sultry grin. "The name's Eric Stevenson, and you are?"

"Not interested!" Joey yelled as he yanked his hand away.

Stevenson faked a pout and tried to reach for him once more. "Wheeler it is then?"

Forest green eyes widened as the shorter blonde caught his wrist in a tight grip.

"I'm warning you," Joey said, voice slipping into a tone he seldom used as he let the man go. "Don't touch me."

Stevenson's eyes only sparkled at the challenge.

"Enough," Kaiba announced angrily. "Lets not waste any more time here."

With that the tall brunette walked off. Stevenson winked at Joey.

"We will meet again," the American promised as he smoothly followed after Kaiba into the restaurant.

Joey and Duke kept their glares up until the business men disappeared inside. Once they were gone the raven turned to the blonde with a meaningful look.

The blonde sighed. "I'll tell you in the car."

Duke nodded at that and called the valet over. There was definitely a lot more going on than he knew.

Once they were buckled in and driving away the blonde spoke up. "Maybe it's best you stop by my job tonight. I have an early performance and I can meet up with you afterwards and explain everything."

"Now what do _you_ mean?" Duke asked.

"Trust me," Joey revealed. "There's a lot to say but some is easier to show."

***************************************************************************

Kaiba stared at his glass, brimming with anger underneath his stoic facade.

It sparked when he caught Devlin and Wheeler hugging. But it flared when he saw Stevenson showing an interest in the golden blonde.

What was it about Wheeler? Since when was that idiot dog the type to draw interests in?But then, the mutt had gotten him riled up hadn't he?

He made a fist under the table. Why was he so angry over Wheeler?

"Kaiba."

The tall brunette looked up.

"That's the second time I had to call your name," Stevenson said with a smug smile.

"Hn."

"So, are you going to tell me about those two or not?"

A scowl met Stevenson's question.

"Now, now. Don't be like that. I just want to know more about them," the platinum blonde took a sip. "Especially the blonde. He seemed rather plain at first sight, but oh, the fire that took him over! I do like them feisty."

Stevenson took another sip. "He's a strong one too. He'd be so fun, turning a fiery guy like him into a moaning, submissive little-"

"How long do I have to listen to this drivel?"

"What is it Kaiba? You won't share them with me?"

"What you do is of your concern. Don't come to me with such pettiness."

"Stinger as always!" Stevenson smirked.

Kaiba's face remained stoic though his fist clenched tighter under the table.

Why was he so angry over this?

************************************************************************

"Your eyes."

"Is that really all that's got ya?"

"They're red."

"I already know that."

"So red."

"Ya already mentioned that."

"You have red eyes."

"Geez Duke! Enough already."

The raven chuckled.

"It was shocking okay! All of it!" Duke noticeably looked him over. "It still is, though I can't complain."

"Keep a lid on it will ya."

"But, you look so handsome Joey."

"Enough with the flattery," the brunette drawled. The blonde playing a _'brunette'_ that is.

At the moment Joey Wheeler did not look like himself. His honey contacts hid his piercing red orbs. A shaggy, chocolate wig disguised his blonde hair. A dark blue dress-shirt hugged his torso and the black dress pants completed a sharp but casual look.

The pretend brunette scratched his nose. "I borrowed this _'look'_ from the back. I have access to whatever I want so long as I wash it and return it."

"Why not dress up like that all the time then?"

"What for?" Joey asked. "I only borrowed this right now so I can fit into the club scene here."

"But you can look nice like that all the time!"

"I don't get your point."

Duke sighed. "Nevermind."

"Would you like another drink handsome?" a waitress in a tight leather dress asked the raven as he finished his drink.

"The same thank you," Duke said with a flirty smile.

Joey shook his head. "Damn flirt."

"But of course," Duke chided. He looked his friend up and down again. "Your eyes are striking, you can actually sing and dance, you can clean up well when you really need to, and the real kicker is… it all presents a package that is truly sexy as hell. You'd give Kaiba a run for it in that department."

The pretend brunette bristled momentarily at the mention of the real brunette. "You're crazy."

"Maybe so," the green eyes fixed on Joey. "But speaking of Kaiba, are you going to tell me about him?"

They spent the rest of the night talking about it. Joey shared with Duke all that he's shared with Mai. And Duke returned the favor and shared a lot of himself as well. They both ended up telling far more than they would have expected but it was a welcome surprise.

When the raven dropped the blonde off he ended up blurting an awkward question.

And the blonde stumbled over his own equally awkward answer.

*************************************************************************

"What! You're kidding!"

The male blonde fell off of his couch, and dropped his phone. He scrambled to pick it back up as he rubbed his head with his free hand.

"Mai! Not so loud!" he frowned into the phone. "Ya almost blew my ear off."

"Well, it's your fault for laying such a shocker on me," Mai sighed. "I am glad though."

"Huh? About what?"

"You're letting others in Joey," her violet eyes focused on the view of Rome from her hotel window. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks sis," the male blonde smiled. "I just thought I'd catch ya up on things."

"Consider myself caught up little one… you on the other hand now have a lot to listen to!"

Joey laughed as he fell back onto the couch. "I'm all ears… just no more yelling."

****************************************************************************

"Are you really that nervous?"

"Of course I am!"

The raven slapped the blonde upside the head.

"What was that for?"

"Relax already. We both know it's going to be fine."

Joey sighed and froze when he looked up. They were already here. The Kame Gameshop was just across the street.

Two days had passed and today was the day they were to come out to their friends. While the blonde didn't fear loosing his friends entirely he was afraid that this revelation would cause a rift in the group. After all, he'd had so much trouble with it himself.

A hand clasped onto his shoulder comfortingly. Amber eyes found green and they nodded at each other.

Duke's eyes widened as the blonde threw an arm around his neck and marched him across the street. The raven almost fell when Joey let him go as soon as they burst through the Gameshop doors.

"I'm gay and so is Duke!"

_'That's how he decides to do this!?'_ the raven thought in great incredulity.

The blonde's eyes were focused on his friends.

Yugi who stopped shuffling his cards in mid-motion.

Tristan who spilled his drink on himself but did nothing to clean it up.

Tea whose eyes were impossibly wide.

And Ryou who had pocky sticking out of his mouth.

"Joey?"

It was Yugi who reacted first. The violet eyes blinked up at him as the short guy stood up and crossed the room. Yugi pulled on Joey's sleeve, forcing the blonde down so he could feel the blonde's forehead.

"Uh Yug, what are you doing?"

"Just wanted to make sure you are okay Joey."

"I'm good," the blonde responded. "I'm just… gay…"

Violet eyes blinked up at him. "I already know that Joey."

Joey blinked.

"WHAT!?" the blonde exploded.

"Was it supposed to be a secret?" Tea asked.

"I didn't think so," Ryou put in.

"All that worrying and they already knew," Duke mumbled.

"How? How could you know?" Joey asked, honey eyes never looking away from violet.

"How could all of you guys know?!" Tristan got to his feet. "I didn't know!"

The pointy-haired brunette crossed the room and pointed a finger in Duke's face although the rest of him faced Yugi and Joey. "It's obvious he's gay! He was only pretending to go after Serenity to piss me off, but you!" Tristan pointed at Joey now. "When the hell did that happen! How?!"

Duke's eyes narrowed at the pointy-haired brunette's back but he gave a _'hmph!'_ all the same.

Joey blinked. And blinked again. The offensive digit continued to wag in his face.

"Get your finger out of my face Tristan!"

"Explain to me what's going on first then man!"

"I already said I was gay!"

"And I asked how that happened!"

What do you mean how did it happen?!"

"Dude! We've always chased girls and talked about porn! But now… now it's this!"

"Tristan! What's wrong with this!"

"Nothing! It just seemed to happen overnight!"

"Well obviously it didn't! I've been like this for half a year now!"

"What?!"

Smack!

"Oww!"

"Knock it off you two!" Tea scolded.

"Geez!" Joey cried out, rubbing the back of his head where Tea had smacked them.

"Maybe you should explain Joey. Just to be in the clear," Yugi advised.

The blonde sighed. "Yeah, I suppose."

And so he did. He recounted everything he had told Duke, save for the part of his home- situation… and about Kaiba. Okay, so maybe it wasn't _everything_. But, by the end of it, he felt his worry ebb away. The raven had been right. They deserved to know and it felt good to tell them, though it had unnerved him that Yugi, Tea, and Ryou pretty much already knew.

Tristan sighed and turned to Tea. "We’re the only straight ones in this group aren't we?"

"Tristan!" she smacked his shoulder.

"It was only a comment! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"What are ya talkin' about Tristan?" Joey asked.

Everyone focused their gaze on the pointy-haired brunette.

"Well, you're gay," he indicated to the blonde. "And so is Duke. Tea and I are straight, and then there's Yugi and Ryou. I mean, well, they've got the other half of their souls thing going on… it probably doesn't concern gender… so they're like already spoken for…right?"

Silence…

"That's surprisingly astute of you," Duke said somberly, though he eyed Tristan suspiciously.

"But-but! The Pharaoh and I! We-" Yugi reddened.

Ryou did not say anything but he had a small smile on his face and a far-away look in his eyes.

Tea slapped her forehead.

"You guys are all so dense… and so terrible at hiding the truth," she claimed.

The blonde smiled. _'But I am still hiding more…'_

They spent the rest of the afternoon divulging in more not-so-secret secrets and followed it up with a few boardgames.

Joey was surprised to learn that there was more going on between Yugi and the Pharaoh. He just wasn't sure how it worked considering they shared a body. The same goes for Ryou though his situation is much more… volatile. Ryou neither confirmed nor denied being with Bakura, which made the blonde feel concerned for his fair-haired friend. Ryou was strong in his own way, but he was also very gentle, more so than Yugi. Bakura may be an evil shit, but he was also the other half of Ryou's soul. Ryou… probably couldn't help but to like Bakura, right?

Joey snorted. Those two getting together would be like if he and Kaiba hooked up...

******************************************************************************

"I gotta say… you have more crap than I realized."

The blonde glared at the raven though he continued to shovel eggs into his mouth. He swallowed it all down with a swig of orange juice. "It's not that much ya little bastard."

"Oh!" Duke's eyes sparkled wickedly. "Are we giving each other pet names now blondie?"

The blonde spluttered to which the raven laughed at.

"Relax!" Duke thumped him on the back. He idly fingered a stray golden lock.

"You know, now that I know how good you can look… how about we do something about this?"

The blonde raised his eyebrows but Duke only smirked.

*****************************************************************************

"Oh my…"

"Joey?!"

"Dude! What-what?!"

The blonde's brow twitched. "It's not that big a deal! Why does everyone keep looking at me like that!"

"Well it is different, but I think you look great Joey!" Yugi beamed.

"Thanks Yug. But you can blame Duke for this!"

"Duke!" Tristan piped up. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Oh," the blonde began as the door behind them slid open. "Duke and I are roommates now."

Slam!

The blonde jumped and whipped his head to look up at Kaiba who'd just closed the door with more force than necessary.

Ice blue eyes roved his form in one sweeping gaze; taking in the black shoes, tight jeans, white dress-shirt, mussed up hair falling in layers, and the slight smudge of eyeliner on the ends of his eyes.

"Hi there Kaiba," Yugi greeted.

The tall brunette slid his gaze to the short boy and nodded minutely, his version of a greeting. It was a good thing Yugi had interrupted otherwise he would have been staring for far too long. The blonde's change in looks had shocked him enough to forget his anger. Anger over what he'd heard.

His gaze switched back to the blonde. The good-looking blonde who now looked even better.

"Wheeler."

Joey fought a blush.Why did Kaiba's throaty growl have to sound so seductive? Of all the people he could be attracted to why did it have to be him?

"Kaiba."

The blonde felt two hand clamp onto his shoulders and a face appeared before his.

"Joey! You're living with Duke!" Tristan yelled.

"The blonde idiot and the frilly raven. What a fitting couple," Kaiba's voice was low yet somehow it rang out over Tristan's yelling.

Joey tensed under the icy stare. "Duke is my friend Kaiba."

_'We both are simply tired of being alone.'_

The tall brunette sneered. "You're in my way Wheeler."

"You've got legs Kaiba, Try using them."

The tall brunette stalked past, bumping into both Joey and Tristan on the way. Tristan's complaints fell on deaf ears.

Amber eyes stayed on the tall brunette's back.

_'I'm working tonight. Will you be there again?'_

Kaiba sat down in his seat and hid a sigh as he powered up his laptop. His heart… was beating wildly.

_'What the fuck are you doing to me Wheeler?'_

_***************************************************************************_

Nervous. That's how he felt. Nervous from head to toe. So nervous the emotion was rolling off of him in waves. 

He looked like another person, as usual. 

His torso, arms, and face were painted in red in a distinctive pattern (designed to cover his scars as always and to add to his mystique). Thick, black eyeliner rimmed his red eyes and gloss coated his lips. His golden mop was hidden away under a wig of shocking silver. The leather pants were a tad more daring than usual. They were looser and more comfortable to wear due to the slits on the sides that were held up with a criss-cross pattern. 

Yeah, sexy as always. He couldn't wait to put the prop to use. The lessons on using it had been so much fun. 

But, still, he felt undeniably nervous. 

Due to Kaiba and Stevenson's interest in **Katsuya** , **The Dragon's Lair** now dedicated the second friday of the month to be a night that catered to gay men. Although, no one was insinuating the patrons were _'gay'_ of course. 

The blonde already knew Kaiba and Stevenson were here. 

The knock on the door told him it was time. 

Joey sighed, but the moment he looked back up and into the mirror he was already **Katsuya** , smug smirk gracing his features. **Katsuya** picked up the sword and left the room. 

******************************************************************************

Kaiba sipped his drink.  He was tired of Stevenson. The tall brunette had no choice but to confront **Katsuya** , soon. And by soon, he meant tonight. He had it all planned out. He simply had to wait for **Katsuya** to perform. 

_'And there it is,'_ he thought as the place darkened and the announcement of **Katsuya** came on. 

"…performing Super Psycho Love by Simon Curtis, I give you, **Katsuya** …"

The music began and a figure swayed in the flickering lights on the stage. He wasn't alone. The beat picked up and the stage lit up. 

**Katsuya** , ever sexy as always, held up a katana with one hand, tip resting right under another male's chin. The silver strand **Katsuya** looked ethereal as he ever so slowly walked about the male, dragging the katana in a circle around his neck as he sang. 

_Something lately drives me crazy_

_Has to do with how you make me_

_Struggle to get your attention_

_Calling you brings apprehension_

_Texts from you and sex from you_

_Are things that are not so uncommon_

_Flirt with you, you're all about it_

_Tell me why do I feel unwanted?_

**Katsuya** pulled the sword away and lightly kicked the male in the back forcing him down to his knees. The red-orbed performer grabbed a handful of hair and yanked the male’s head back and crouched. **Katsuya** sang as though he were whispering into the male's ear and angled the katana across the front of his neck. 

_Damn, if you didn't want me back_

_Why'd you have to act like that?_

_It's confusing to the core_

_Cause I know you want it_

_Oh, and if you don't wanna be_

_Something substantial with me_

_Then why do you give me more?_

_Babe, I know you want it_

The singer let the male go and leapt off of the stage, landing in a crouch near one of the patrons. **Katsuya's** piercing eyes held the patrons' as he stood and hovered his sword near their necks. 

_Say that you want me_

_That you want me every way_

_That you need me_

_Got me trippin' super psycho love_

_Aim, pull the trigger_

_Feel the pain getting bigger_

_Go insane from the bitter feeling_

_Trippin' super psycho love_

‘ _It was that time now,’_ **Katsuya** thought as he crossed the room. The two business men had bought off the section just for themselves, which, of course, meant special treatment. 

**Katsuya's** heart thrummed as he neared his first… target. 

He'd noticed Seto Kaiba right from the get go but dutifully pretended to ignore him. Pretend being the key word as he hand't been able to completely remove the feel of the glacial eyes following his every move. 

The silver-haired performer slid onto the marble table before the teen CEO. **Katsuya** positioned a leg on either side of the tall brunette and brought the katana up to run along Kaiba's arm as he sung to the Ice Prince, molten blue and fiery red eyes locking. 

_Pull me off to darkened corners_

_Where all other eyes avoid us_

_Tell me how I mesmerize you_

_I love you and despise you_

_Back to the crowd where you ignore me_

_Bedroom eyes to those before me_

_How am I suppose to handle_

_Lit the fuse and missed the candle_

The performer removed the sword from where it rested under the CEO's chin and instead hovered his free hand over the pale face as though afraid to touch him (which he may very well be). 

_Damn, if you wanna let me go_

_Baby, please just let me know_

_You're not gonna get away with leading me on_

With a powerful push of his quads, **Katsuya** launched himself back and away from the tall brunette, spinning in the motion so that he faced Stevenson on his hands and knees, sword set aside for now, which left him free to wave his leather-clad ass in Kaiba's direction. 

What? Who said he couldn't have fun with this?

He crawled towards Stevenson as he sang. 

_Say that you want me_

_That you want me every way_

_That you need me_

_Got me trippin' super psycho love_

_Aim, pull the trigger_

_Feel the pain getting bigger_

_Go insane from the bitter feeling_

_Trippin' super psycho love_

**Katsuya** pushed himself up, making sure to pick his sword back up as he did so. 

_Say you want me_

_Say you need me_

_Tear my heart out slow_

_And bleed me_

The singer stepped off of the table, idly observing from the corner of his eye that Kaiba had stood up and was walking away. 

Was he leaving? Why did the sight of the brunette's retreating back bring a pang to him?

**Katsuya** sauntered back towards the stage. He stopped before another male patron and dragged the katana blade delicately across the man's lips. 

_You want me_

_You need me_

_You're gonna- be with me_

The man practically melted form the raw emotion and hunger bleeding out of **Katsuya's** eyes. 

The tall brunette smirked as the door opened. It had been much too easy for him to hack into the security system. He hesitated momentarily as he heard **Katsuya** begin to sing the final chorus. With a shake of his head he slipped through and disappeared down the corridor. As much as he'd like to have stayed and watched the whole performance he was pleased to know he'd come across **Katsuya** face to face real soon. He'd be able to settle things once and for all. Stevenson was pushing his stay as it was and he needed to do something before the damn American did. 

***************************************************************************

**Katsuya** sighed as he walked down the corridor. 

His heart had been ramming against his chest earlier but now that the tall brunette had gone it had tuned down. He didn't even feel the usual high he did after a performance. 

The singer opened the door to his dressing room, stepped in, closed the door with a lock, and leaned back against it. He reached up to massage his scalp, groaning in contentment. He slid his hands down to work his neck and upper shoulders. 

"Not that I'm not enjoying the show but I need to talk to you."

_'That voice!'_

Joey thanked Ra he was still in his **Katsuya** persona. He;d just been about to reach up and slip the wig off. He was safe for now but his real hair would have been a dead give away to who he really was. 

"You," **Katsuya** yelped in a pitch much unlike Joey Wheeler's. "What are you doing here?"

"To talk, as I've already said," Kaiba kept his face impassive. 

**Katsuya's** heart picked up again as he pretended to study him.  "Then talk."

"I have a proposal for you."

The red orbs narrowed. "I don't-"

"It's not what you think," Kaiba interrupted. 

**Katsuya** merely cocked his head and raised a brow. 

The tall brunette narrowed his eyes. There was something… reminiscent there…

"Spend the night with me in a hotel room."

**Katsuya** chuckled. Oh yeah, the persona was kicking in now. "You wish to win your little game then, do you not?"

Kaiba glared. 

"All I'm asking is for you to spend the night, nothing else," the CEO smirked. "For a generous fee of course."

"You honestly think I'd believe it's for nothing else?"

**Katsuya** followed up the question with a smirk. Kaiba crossed the room. The silver-haired male stayed perfectly still, smirk in place as the tall brunette stepped to him. 

"If I wanted to pursue you, **Katsuya,** I wouldn't need the pretext of a stupid little game to do it."

The performer shifted under the intense stare. His red eyes widened at the number Kaiba gave him. 

_'50,000!? That's more than enough to pay for the last two year's of Serenity's tuition at Ouran in full!'_

Joey felt himself being torn in two directions. Should he? Shouldn't he?

"I'll… think about it."

Kaiba nodded. He slipped the performer a business card and whipped out his phone to disable security once more. "You have 24 hours."

**Katsuya** raised his brows but nodded nonetheless. "Noted."

The CEO closed the door behind him. 

**Katsuya** stared down at the card as he slid his wig off, cap and all. With a few shakes his fluffy, golden mop sprung to life. 

Should he do it?

The biggest reason he took on this job was so he could afford his living and save money for Serenity's tuition. Although he really did enjoy singing and he liked only needing to have one job, the fact of the matter was- this wasn't his dream job. He liked it, but didn't particularly care for it beyond that. Money was the biggest motivator here. 

Kaiba… he could solve that, if he took him up on his offer. There was a possibility he would not be recognized… if he was careful and stayed in character.

Kaiba did say it was just to be there, they wouldn't have to do anything… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are irritatingly slow… but they are getting there.
> 
> It feels a little cheesy in some parts, but it was meant to be out there so, meh.
> 
> The songs featured are Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment” and Simon Curtis’ “Super Psycho Love.”
> 
> And I hope now you can see why Joey was so out of it with Mr. Andrews. You could be the strongest person in the world but phobias have a way of getting to people (I should know, my friend is an adrenaline-junkie bodybuilder but he has this VERY debilitating fear of spiders). Joey’s phobia will be revealed, although it feels rather obvious what it is...
> 
> Also, in case any are wondering; Joey with red eyes, black hair, and black markings painted to hide his scars- I think all this would make him quite difficult to recognize from his regular self. My friend kept badgering me about why Kaiba didn't recognize Joey so I thought I'd just pass this along.


	4. Kisses lead to a baring of souls and Friendship is harder than it looks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for depictions of violence and sexy times. 
> 
> That, actually sounds odd now that I wrote it out. 
> 
> I assure you the violence and sexy times are not related to one another!

"Happy Valentine's Day Joey! I love your scarf!"

"Thanks Yug! It was a gift from Mai!"

"Ah, well here you are Joey."

A colorfully wrapped bundle was deposited into the waiting blonde's hands. Once he saw what it was, amber eyes lit up. He tore it open and immediately popped several pieces of chocolate into his mouth. 

"You're the best bud!"

Tea shook her head. 

"You're too nice Yugi," Tristan commented. 

The small teen smiled. 

"I made some for all of you as well," Yugi said as he handed out chocolate to Tea, Tristan, Duke, and Ryou. 

"Thank you so very much Yugi," Ryou said as he graciously accepted his treat. 

Duke politely declined, reasoning he didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Joey perked up at this. "Can I have his?!"

"Sure Joey," Yugi said. 

The blonde whooped and quickly dug into his second helping. His friends only shook their heads. 

Ever vigilant when it came to food or candy the blonde could't help but notice that Yugi still held onto one final bag. 

"Say Yug," the blonde crouched down to his eye level. "Whose that one for eh?" His face became lecherous. "Got the hots for someone buddy?"

Tea scoffed as the others laughed. 

Yugi pinked. "It's for Kaiba."

"Eh!" Joey cried out. "You have the hots for Kaiba?! I thought you were with the Pharaoh!!"

Yugi's entire face immediately blew up in red as their classmates all turned to look at them. 

"Joey!!" Tea cut in in exasperation. "He's giving chocolates to Kaiba as a friend, like the rest of us."

The blonde blinked. "Oh…"

"Yeah," the small guy said as he looked at his blonde friend. "But he's not here so… I suppose you can have these too Joey."

"Excellent!" Joey cried as he swiped the chocolates just as the teacher walked in. The blonde teen scowled much to his friends’ amusement and made a show of putting his goods away. 

School droned on. The blonde didn't pay too much attention, which was- normal- but he was uncharacteristically agitated.

He'd yet to come to a decision. 

The final bell rang, he said good-bye to his friend's, declined Duke's offer of a ride, and wandered down the hallway. 

Locker 88. That's where he stopped. In front of Seto Kaiba's locker. 

With a practiced ease he picked the lock open. It was empty, save for a few textbooks. That was… unexpected? For some reason he just expected there to be more. 

He shook himself of the thought and looked uneasily over his shoulder. He couldn't help but to feel he was being watched. Joey placed the bag of chocolates on top of the neat pile of books. 

He stared at the odd picture for a few long seconds before slamming the locker shut and walking away quickly. The blonde sighed as he made his way out of the building. He couldn't eat the chocolates, in the end. Not when he read the little label that read _'Kaiba'_ attached. 

He couldn't articulate _why_ he placed them inside the brunette's locker, only that he _did._  

"Well, well, you sure do like to keep one waiting don't you?"

Joey froze as he stepped through the door to the school. He knew that voice. With a loud groan he turned around, scowl set in place. "What do you want?"

Stevenson smirked and moved forward. Only because it was so unexpected did it happen. Their lips met for the briefest touch before the golden blonde threw the taller man off of him. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Joey exploded, eyes wide in incredulity. 

Stevenson chuckled as his forest greens sparkled. 

"So, so feisty," the platinum blonde rumbled as he licked his lips. 

Joey growled. "How about ya have some of this ya creep!"

His cocked fist was held in that position as another intervened. Joey looked up.

"Kaiba!"

The tall brunette let go of Joey's fist once he was sure he wasn't going to hit anyone. As much as the American would have deserved it (as he'd been inclined to hit him himself, for… whatever reason) it wouldn't due to have the bastard hurt while he still needed him. 

"Pathetic as always Stevenson," the icy voice droned. 

The platinum blonde smirked. 

"I can't help myself," the green eyes flashed to Joey. "I go after what I want." The eyes flashed back to Kaiba. "But why interrupt us Seto Kaiba?"

Stevenson's smirk became more pronounced. "Do you want him for yourself?"

"SAY WHAT?!?!"

Joey was ignored. 

"If I wanted him I would already have him."

Stevenson shrugged carelessly before sending a wink to Joey and walking away. 

The golden blonde was torn between staring daggers at the jerk disappearing into a Rolls Royce and the jerk that stood next to him. 

"As if _you_ could ever-mmph!"

The tall brunette cut Joey off by pushing him up against the wall. For the second time that day Joey had lips sealed over his own- though this time it did not last for a mere peck. 

Kaiba. 

Seto. Kaiba. Was. Kissing. Him. 

Him! Joey Freaking Wheeler!

The blonde couldn't help but to panic. 

Recognizing the blonde's discomfort, the brunette raked a hand into the golden mop in a surprising caress. The move instinctively calmed Joey, whose eyes slid shut as he became very aware of his body's response once the panic ebbed away. 

Kaiba indulged in the moment, running his tongue along the blonde's bottom lip and slipping through as Joey let out a moan. His tongue was teasing, tasting, making Joey urge for more. The blonde moved in closer, pressing their chests together as the brunette angled the blonde's head better for a deeper kiss. 

All too soon, Kaiba was giving the blonde's lips one last swipe before pulling back. 

The brunette allowed a small smile as he took in the flushed face of the blonde and the rapid beating of the shorter teen's heart against his broad chest. He let go of the golden strands forcing Joey's eyes to open up to the brunette's smirking face. 

In that moment, Joey had been too caught up in the warmth in his chest and the happiness in his heart to truly be grounded. His heavy-lidded eyes, deepened blush, and happy little smile almost caused Kaiba to take a step back. 

"Yes," Kaiba whispered. "I could have you… if I wanted."

Joey was still in his daze, though he was coming out of it. "Kaiba?"

The CEO wanted to say it, but the phrase simply wouldn't come out. Instead he turned away and walked off. 

Joey watched his retreating figure in confusion. That's when he noticed it. 

Along with his briefcase, the CEO was also holding onto a colorful little bundle. Adding two and two together finally woke the blonde up. 

_'Oh man! He probably saw me!'_ Joey clutched his head in panic. _'He thinks I gave him the chocolates!'_

The tall brunette, on his part, was only able to keep his warring emotions at bay by plunging his hand into his pocket and fingering a simple red thread. 

*****************************************************************************

Confusion. 

It was a strange and rare emotion for him to encounter. But, the confusion was there, reflected in the dozen's of blue eyes that peered back at him. 

A moment of anger led to the shattering of one of his monitors, the bits of jagged screen reflecting his own confusion back at him. 

How? When did it happen?

His rigid posture slackened as he turned away to face the enormous window overlooking Domino in his office. After a moment's hesitation he walked up and leaned his head against it, watching the goings of a brightly lit city. 

Wheeler…Wheeler was getting to him. 

His mind raced back. 

Wheeler stood up to him, fought with him, intrigued him, angered him…the list went on. The blonde always found a way onto his mind even when he wasn't around. Kaiba was attracted to him…jealous for him….and most unbelievable of all he was beginning to care for him. 

_He_ **cared** about _Wheeler_. 

If he hadn't walked away so abruptly earlier, after their kiss, he would have asked Wheeler into his limo and then… who knows what might have happened. 

The brunette groaned. As if he didn't already know. But Wheeler, why did it have to be Wheeler?

He shouldn't want him, he shouldn't care for him- not when he was supposed to feel nothing for one except for Mokuba. Yet he did, there was no denying it. 

It had been there for some time now, only now did he realize it, or he should say, only now did he admit to it. 

His hand curled into a fist. He won't let Wheeler have this hold over him. There had to be some way to rid of it, but first he needed to know how deep it ran. 

The deep ocean eyes flickered. There was one way to know…

*****************************************************************************

The red eyes flashed away from the mirror in clear impatience. Also, he simply didn't want to look at himself. Joey may have donned his **Katsuya** persona but at the moment he was still very much Joey Wheeler. 

Golden blonde strands were hidden away under a jet-black wig of messy spikes. His red orbs shone bright from under dark bangs. Other than that, **Katsuya** looked rather tame. No eyeliner, no ink on his skin, no gloss on his lips, no oil, no bandages, no leather. He wore a simple, black long sleeve- fitted to his physique to show off a compact form. Faded jeans hung off of his hips and plain black sneakers completed his outfit. 

Despite the casual look, **Katsuya** held a presence that called attention, which was made all the more obvious when he had made his way to the hotel earlier. 

Nevertheless, **Katsuya** was still Joey. His looks were striking but his lips were strained and there was a glaze to the normally piercing eyes. 

Joey had decided to do it. 

He'd called Kaiba earlier and told him, as **Katsuya** , that he'd take him up on his offer. 

So now, here he was, anxiously waiting… for Kaiba; the powerful, intelligent, rich, teen CEO who had no idea that he, Joey Wheeler, was also **Katsuya**. 

Kaiba, the same guy who'd flooded his sense with a mere kiss, _that guy_ was the one he was waiting for- so they could spend a night together- in a hotel room.

It was so wrong. How had it happened? How did he get himself to this point? This place?

He'd arrived early but he knew he wouldn't be waiting too long before Kaiba arrived as well. He had to get it together before then.

The tall brunette could **NOT** find out who **Katsuya** really is. Well, not until he got paid at least. But it was probably better he didn't find out if it was possible. 

But was it possible? Joey may be slow a times but he wasn't hopelessly naive. 

No matter what the brunette had said, they were two gay teens whom were attracted to each other and whom were going to be in a hotel room together.  

How could **it** not happen? Oh Ra! He couldn't even say **IT!!!**

The blonde groaned. The images wouldn't stop. 

Kaiba pinning him down, sucking on his neck as he ground away at him. The brunette steadying his hips as Joey rode him in wild ecstasy. Kaiba slamming into him from behind, one hand reaching out to take a hold of his hair to better angle his neck for the brunette's biting and sucking pleasure. Joey melting into the pools of blue as he pumped away into the hot, pale body...

The blonde shook his head. 

_'Bad Joey! Bad Joey!'_ he ran a hand through the dark locks. _'_ ** _Katsuya_** _wouldn't act this way!'_

The blonde turned back to the mirror, back to his red orbs. Maybe he should expose who he is, once he had the money what did it matter? Right?

He wrapped his arms around himself. Who was he kidding? He wanted Kaiba, and he'd probably never have a chance at him unless he was someone other than his real self. 

Maybe he could be with him, just this once. 

*****************************************************************************

"Yugi?"

Of all people Duke could have expected to find at his front door this close to midnight, the short teen was far from it. He was surprised the little guy hadn't been mugged on his way over but he supposed the Hikari had his Yami to help him out should unwanted trouble rear its ugly head. 

It was all within minutes that the raven invited him in, seated him, set a pot of tea to simmer, and was making light conversation. 

Duke blew at his own mug as he handed one to Yugi and seated himself across from him. 

"Well then, not that you'd ever be unwelcome, but do you mind me asking just why you showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night?"

When the raven didn't receive an answer he cocked a brow. Yugi was looking at him funny. 

"Yugi?"

"I've never seen you in sweats and a t-shirt before Duke."

The green-orbed teen smirked. There was something a little coy about Yugi's smile. Just a little. 

"I wouldn't wear my regular clothes to bed," the raven pointed out. 

The short guy shrugged. 

Duke took a sip. He'll talk soon. 

Yugi sipped his own mug for another minute. 

"I'm worried about Joey," the lavender eyed teen finally confessed. "I know you and he have gotten close recently." He fixed Duke with wide eyes. "I just have to know, is he in any trouble?"

"What makes you think he's in trouble?"

Yugi noticeably stiffened. 

"I just got a bad feeling about Joey…" Yugi whispered as he set the mug down and averted his eyes. 

The raven frowned. 

"There's not much to say," he waited until Yugi looked back up at him and told him sincerely. "I don't think he's in any real trouble however."

A nervous smile pulled at Yugi's lips. 

"It's probably nothing," Yugi began to agree. " I just… I was worried," he ended flatly. 

Duke smiled back. He lifted his mug. 

"You want some more?"

"No, no," Yugi insisted. "I'll be on my way actually. Thank you, for everything."

"Of course," Duke returned. The raven stared at the door long after Yugi left. Something was wrong. He'd never seen Yugi so nervous, so vulnerable. 

The raven felt he was missing out on something big, and that something revolved around Joey. 

_'What if he really is in trouble?'_

****************************************************************************

The tall brunette slid the key card in and opened up the door to the uppermost suite of the hotel. He ignored the decadent surroundings as he made his way in. He was slightly surprised to find **Katsuya** , dressed casually, pen and paper in hand, sitting on the couch with the TV going on in the background. The raven brushed dark locks out of his face as he turned his bright orbs to him. 

"Kaiba," **Katsuya** trilled. 

The brunette chose to ignore him as he set his briefcase upon a desk and took off his tie. His pale lips tilted into a smirk as he felt **Katsuya's** eyes follow his movements. 

The jacket came off slowly, revealing a blue dress shirt fitted to his exact measurements, highlighting  his wide muscles. Kaiba turned around and eyed **Katsuya** as he popped some of the top buttons open. 

Good… he had the singer's attention. 

"So you decided the money was worth it after all."

**Katsuya's** eyes narrowed. 

"Speaking of money," the dark-haired male shot himself onto his feet. "How exactly are you going to pay me?"

Kaiba resisted lifting a brow. He reached into his jacket and took out his pen and checkbook, quickly filling one out. "50,000 American dollars."

He held it out for **Katsuya** to take. The raven smirked as he sauntered over towards his taller companion and looked him directly in the eyes as he took the check. 

"Thank you," **Katsuya** said sardonically. 

"You'll leave in the morning."

**Katsuya** nodded, eyes still not leaving the other’s. 

It didn't last. 

Kaiba turned away and powered up his laptop. It wasn't long before each was engrossed in their own work, or at least pretending to be. 

Time passed and Joey thought he just might crack. Even as **Katsuya** he wasn't meant to sit still for so long! Or be so silent! Besides that he was already done brainstorming his newest song. 

"Is this really all we will do?"

The brunette didn't even slow in his typing. "Did you expect otherwise?"

**Katsuya** got to his feet again. He crossed the room and wandered into the kitchen area. 

"People rarely say what they mean," the raven commented as he pulled a water bottle from the fridge. 

The brunette snorted derisively. "Don't lump me in with others."

The lightning blue eyes swiveled around in time to catch **Katsuya's** smirk. 

"Oh, is that so?" the raven mocked. 

Kaiba only scoffed in answer. **Katsuya** frowned. The brunette was so removed today. Why did that make him feel disappointed? Not him **Katsuya** , but him as Joey?

"So, you're just going to be typing all night?"

Kaiba, again, ignored him. The raven mashed his teeth together. Whether he was playing as **Katsuya** or was just plain old Joey Wheeler he did not like being ignored. 

Meanwhile, the brunette allowed a minute smile. For all he was on stage, **Katsuya** was turning out to be easier to work than expected. It wasn't too long later before the performer gave up all attempts at conversation. Kaiba waited only a short while longer before saving his work and powering his laptop down. The brunette smirked at the way **Katsuya** perked up at the sound. 

"Finally done?"

"Obviously."

**Katsuya** cocked his head. "What now?'

"We go to sleep."

"That's…all?" **Katsuya** asked in clear surprise. 

Kaiba stood up and made his way to his bed. "Did you expect more?"

**Katsuya** smirked himself, eyes glittering. "You're an interesting guy."

"And you have a knack for stating the obvious."

**Katsuya** shrugged offhandedly. 

The brunette took off his shoes and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, slipping it off with practiced care. Already knowing the raven's eyes were once again on him he said, "Tell me, **Katsuya** , what do you want from tonight?"

**Katsuya's** smirk vanished. 

"I…"

The tall brunette walked over to him, bare chest exposing a mouth-watering view. Kaiba reached out and traced the smooth jawline. He then took hold of the singer's chin and turned his head so he could speak into his ear. 

"I already know what you want."

**Katsuya** shivered slightly. Inwardly, Joey panicked. 

He couldn't do this. If Kaiba continued in this vein, the **Katsuya** persona would not hold up, no doubt about it. His voice alone would be a dead giveaway. 

But those eyes were on him… a hot, electric blue. 

Joey felt himself flush. He was loosing his grip. **Katsuya** most certainly was not the type to flush. 

"Here's what you should know however," Kaiba continued. "It's as I've told others, If I wanted you I would already have you."

Ice hit the fake raven as the brunette pulled away. Those words rang more true a second time around. 

Kaiba on his part was surprised he didn't' feel more disturbed. He'd just confirmed his suspicions. His feelings for Wheeler ran deeper than he'd wished. _'I want him.'_

Joey struggled to keep his hold on **Katsuya**. Kaiba's words were harsh once but to endure them twice...

Why did it hurt so much? It's not like he, as **Katsuya** , is truly real. Kaiba doesn't know he's really Joey. His words should be meaningless, so why?

**Katsuya's** shook a hand into his locks. "You don't make sense you know that."

Kaiba laughed out loud, startling the raven. "Getting angry just because I don't want you? Pathetic."

_'I want Wheeler. Fucking. Wheeler.'_

The red orbs hardened. He was forgetting Kaiba was speaking the words to **Katsuya,** not to Joey. 

"Get over it," Kaiba stated bluntly. "I don't want you. I don't care for you. I'll admit you possess some degree of intrigue but it clearly vanishes the moment you step off stage. You're a means to an end for me, that is all."

"You…sure are a cold one," **Katsuya** managed to bite out. 

The brunette whipped out a tablet and pulled up a file he wanted to work on as he settled against the headboard of his bed. "My interests lie elsewhere."

**Katsuya's** eyes widened. Maybe. Just maybe…

Joey's heart picked up. "And where is that?"

The brunette shot him a frosted gaze. 

"With someone far better and far more worthy than you."

*********************************************************************************

Duke was long gone by the time Joey slipped inside their home. Without any preamble he headed straight to his bedroom. He had enough bearings to kick off his shoes and slide the wig off before burying himself under the covers. 

Nothing but dark thoughts surfaced to the forefront of his mind. 

Last night had taken an unexpected turn. It had been so different from anything he had come up with. And though he knew he should not feel this way, he'd never felt so unwanted. 

He had been so close to exposing himself. It would have been all too easy to rip off his wig or stop controlling his tone of voice but he couldn't imagine how much worse the night would have gone if he had. 

Joey threw the covers over his head, unable to help the overwhelming sadness that swallowed him. No tears slipped but his throat was knotted and he felt frail and weak. 

He'd deposited Kaiba's check and called his boss at **The Dragon's Lair** to let him know he quit. **Katsuya** would never grace another stage. 

It's like the brunette had said, **Katsuya** was only meant to be a means to an end. Maybe… Joey was too. 

Everyone he knew had a goal in life, he had nothing. He often felt he was only breezing by, meant to help others but unable to help himself. He didn't want to feel that way anymore. He had to find something for himself, prove his own worth. 

It wasn't just for Kaiba. This was also for him. 

There had to be… something. 

The blonde closed his eyes. His heart hurt. 

******************************************************************************

"Aibou?"

Yugi's lavender eyes caught the crimson shade of the Pharaoh's. "Joey didn't come to school today."

"That's not what's bothering you though is it?"

The short teen smiled. His lover knew him too well. "It's the vision I had."

The Pharaoh eyes narrowed solemnly. 

"I'm not sure what we can do about that aibou, other than prepare for whatever may come. It's not the Shadows we are dealing with here. This isn't the type of fight we are use to."

Yugi frowned. Yami took notice of it and stepped up to him, slipping a hand into his. Although the Ancient Pharaoh was in his spirit form, his connection to his other half was strong enough that they could feel each other's touch. 

"We'll do everything we can to help him and keep him safe. We've proven time and again we can do anything for our friends."

Yugi squeezed his hand back and relaxed into Yami's side. 

"I know, I _know_ that. I'm just worried because I don't know what's wrong. I only know something bad is coming," Yugi gave his Yami a small smile. "But you're right. We can do anything for our friends."

******************************************************************************

"Joey? Are you here?"

"Duke?"

The raven closed the door behind him and quickly crossed the living room. He almost crashed into the blonde whom had just stepped into the hallway. 

"Woah! Hold ya horses there pal!"

"Joey!" Duke placed his hand on his hips and adopted a scowl along with a ticking eyebrow. "Where were you!? Were you here the whole day? You had everyone worried!"

The blonde smiled goofily. "Ya hit it right on the nail prettyboy."

The raven's anger went up in smoke. Joey's tone was all wrong and that smile did not reach his eyes. "What's wrong?"

The blonde shifted. Duke frowned and then sighed. He guided Joey to a couch and set him down. "You know you can talk to me. I think we've already established that."

Now it was Joey's turn to sigh. 

"I met with Kaiba last night," red eyes faced jade green. "As **Katsuya**."

The raven's eyes widened but he nodded his friend on. 

"I like him." The red eyes swam with emotion. "I like Kaiba."

Joey went on to tell him about the CEO's game with Stevenson and the events of the previous night, and lastly included his decision to quit. Duke listened with the same patience he's shown before, but certainly not one he employed with too many people. He ran a hand through raven locks. 

"Maybe it's for the best that you drop the whole **Katsuya** act. It was a cool job but certainly not one you'd want forever."

"Yeah."

Duke sighed, again. "Joey, listen, about Kaiba. Don't take it to heart. He rejected **Katsuya** , not you."

"And he's rejected Joey Wheeler too."

Duke's eyes narrowed. "Sounds odd, considering he kissed you."

The blonde blushed. He'd forgotten he'd told Duke about that. "He was just playing with me."

The raven scoffed. "Kaiba doesn't strike me as the type to get intimate just to mess with someone."

"Trust me, it meant nothing."

A frown pulled at Duke's lips as he watched the blonde wrap his arms around his knees and hug them to his chest. The raven's heart sank. Joey must really trust him to let him see him like this. "You don't know that."

The blonde mumbled into his knees. 

"What?" Duke prompted. 

"He likes someone," Joey explained. "He told me so himself. There's someone out there that interests him."

Joey looked up at him. "Someone he finds worthy."

The raven tensed. "Joey."

"It doesn't matter," the blonde stood up. "I'll get over it."

The raven stopped mid-motion as he had started to get up to comfort the blonde. Jade green orbs watched his friend walk away, closing the door behind him. He wanted to help him, but what could he say? Duke wasn't used to having close relationships, he was still pretty new at this. He hadn't known what to say or what to do to help Joey. Could he be wrong… about Kaiba?

**No.**

He knew what he saw, time and again he'd seen it. 

_'Joey, you don't get it do you? You're the one he wants.'_

*****************************************************************************

"Big brother! Stop worrying. We're just going to watch a movie."

"Yeah," Joey grumbled. "And you're planning on going to watch it with two guys."

"Who are just friends," Serenity stressed. "And one of them is Mokuba, who you know!"

"Well I don't know the other one."

"But you will, when they get here any minute now."

Serenity shook her head at the loud groan Joey let out. Honestly, big brothers can be so overprotective. The two siblings didn't have to wait long. The blonde eyed the two teens as they stepped out of the limo. 

It hadn't been that long since he'd last seen Mokuba has it? The small boy had grown. Taller, leaner, and still dressed in a casual style vs. the designer cloths of his elder brother but Joey was beginning to see a transition. Even the roundness of his face was smoothing out into what will one day become the same handsome bone structure of his brother's. 

The sudden likeness brought out a pang in Joey. He sucked in a sharp breath. 

_'Ignore it.'_

The blonde turned his focus on the young man that got out of the limo after Mokuba. He looked to be the same age as Serenity. Dark green locks were pulled back into a ponytail, out of the way of golden eyes. The teen smiled at him as Mokuba tackled Joey in a hug. 

"Joey!"

The blonde couldn't help it, he smiled grandly. "Hey little buddy."

"Joey," Mokuba repeated as he pulled back from the hug. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I'm sure it hasn't been too long squirt. Though, it does seem Kaiba must be feeding ya something new. You're growin!"

The young raven scowled. "I am at that point of my life where I'm supposed to grow you know."

The blonde only laughed. 

"Yeah, yeah," amber eyes flicked over to the green-haired teen. "So, who are you?"

Mokuba grinned as he threw an arm around his buddy. 

"This is Jeice! He's one of my best friends! Along with Serenity of course!" Mokuba said as he used his free hand to throw it around the giggling female. 

Jeice disentangled himself with a laugh and thrust a hand out. "It's nice to meet you."

The blonde shook his hand. "Name’s Joey Wheeler."

Jeice's grin grew. "I know! You're an awesome duelist. I rooted for you in Battle City!"

Whatever apprehension Joey held towards Jeice scattered to the four winds. Mokuba and Serentiy sighed as the two got into an amped conversation about Duel Monsters. 

_'Well, at least they get along,'_ Serenity thought. 

*****************************************************************************

He tried to ignore it, tried to slow it down, but none of that worked. 

Joey Wheeler's heart was pumping up against his chest at an alarming rate. He was late for class and was walking slowly down the empty halls. It’d been tempting to stay in bed and skip school when he'd woken up earlier only to realize he was late but he'd been too damn stubborn about it. Now here he was, trying to calm himself as he hesitantly made his way to class. 

But how could he? He knew what was waiting there. 

The blonde came to a stop. There was a knot in his throat. His hands shook. His heart hammered away, painfully. 

Kaiba would be in that classroom. The guy he liked who was interested in someone else. 

Wasn't that just his lot in life? No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't win, not at anything. 

His lips turned down. It's not like he'd have a chance should Kaiba like no one. Someone like Seto Kaiba would never be with someone like Joey Wheeler. He wasn't worth it. 

His fists tightened as he leaned against the wall. 

He wasn't worth a damn thing was he? An ex-gangster, a thief, a liar… he was all of that. He kept so much from everyone, even his closest friends. Joey's eyes stung. He wasn't even a good friend, not truly. 

The blonde shook his head and rubbed his eyes dry. 

No. He could be better. He won't keep lying. The truth will come out. He'll do what he'd always done, he'll fight. He'll fight to prove his worth and to show who he truly is. 

With sudden resolve, the blonde straightened himself up and marched to class. The blonde swung his classroom door open with force causing every head to look his way. Even Kaiba flicked his blue eyes to him. The two held each other's stare, Joey's defiant to Kaiba's steel. The blonde was genuinely surprised it held for so long, until he sat at his desk. 

"Mr. Wheeler, care to explain why you're so late?"

Joey smiled at Mr. Taka. 

"My alarm clock didn't go off teach," the blonde said, enticing laughter. 

Mr. Taka shook his head with a sigh and continued the lesson. 

The blonde kept a smile plastered on his face and snickered with his friends as class progressed. he could not, however, rid himself of Kaiba's presence. Joey knew exactly where he was and what he was doing despite never once looking the tall brunette's way. 

"Mr. Wheeler, you're going to want to pay attention to this."

Yugi elbowed Joey out of his daydream. 

"What? What!?"

Mr. Taka sighed. 

"Anyway, as you all know the class field trip is coming up soon. The beautiful Okinawa beaches are our premier destination and attendance is necessary due to the project involved." He lifted up a stack of papers. "Don't forget to pick up one of these permission slips on your way out. All the information about the trip is on them. You're dismissed."

The bell rang. Joey and his friends waited until their classmates filed out before getting up and picking up the permission slips for themselves. 

"Lots of sun and relaxation, I can't wait," Duke claimed with a sparkle in his eyes. 

"It's more of a working vacation though," Tea pointed out. 

"I don't think he heard you," Ryou told Tea. The female looked at Duke who was clearly lost in la-la-land and groaned. 

"What do you think Joey? It sounds like fun."

"No doubt about it Yug. Nothing but fun and more fun," Joey shot his short buddy a playful grin to which Yugi beamed at in return. 

"I just think it's funny that even Kaiba has to come along on this trip," Tristan snickered. 

Ryou frowned. 

"He sure did seem rather angry about it," the albino recalled. 

Duke's smile was smug though he discreetly eyed Joey. 

"Let's just hope none of us have to room with him," the raven expressed. 

"You said it bud," Tristan said as he clapped a hand on Duke's shoulder. Joey only just kept from raising an eyebrow at the way his roommate winced. What was going on there?

"So," Yugi addressed bringing everyone's attention to him. "Are we all still up for the arcade today?"

The group of friends ushered themselves out, all smiles and laughter. Even the blonde wasn't forcing it despite his previous troubles earlier that day. Things were going to change. He just needed to plan it out, for once. 

*****************************************************************************

"Seto! You're home early!"

The tall brunette allowed his rare smile to light up his features as he caught his younger brother's rushing hug. Mokuba's eyes widened against his brother's chest but they settled back to normal when he looked up at him. 

"Did Kaiba Corp. burn down or something?"

"Not even when I'm dead," Kaiba drawled. 

The younger teen laughed. 

"Have you finished your homework?" the brunette questioned as he started across the entrance hall.

Mokuba nodded as he followed alongside his brother. "There really wasn't a lot today."

Kaiba nodded in return and appeared as though he wasn't listening to his little brother prattle on about his day although both he and Mokuba knew he was listening on rather attentively. The brunette indulged in some questions here and there before they settled into their routine, the elder brother working away at his desk while the younger played video games and occasionally talked. 

And yet, the routine wasn't quite the same as it hadn't been the same for what felt like a long time now. With his pressing work over with, thoughts of a particular blonde entered. He didn't try to will them away and there was no hesitance in their arrival. Before they had snuck up upon him. That was no longer true. There was an acceptance to them now, and he was okay with that, even as he thought on it at that very moment. 

That alone spoke volumes, and it clearly showed just how far he had come in accepting Wheeler onto himself. 

And yet he found himself at a loss. Kaiba had always used a simple method when it came to problems: **find, fix or finish**. Wheeler, however, was no easy fix or finish.

The tall brunette wasn't dumb, nor was he emotionless. He knew what he felt for the energetic blonde, and he knew it wouldn't _'just go away.'_ His options were limited: either he took the steps to make Wheeler his or he simply live with what was there but never give it any true acknowledgement. 

The latter would require some backtracking given how much he'd lavished on the amber-eyed teen already. It would also require restraint on his part as he was much used to always going after anything he wanted. _And he wanted._

On the other hand, being with the blonde held merit. The blonde was someone, though he loathe to admit, that one could trust. Wheeler would not care for his company, his money or his fame. He would not simply roll over and give in to his every demand or wish. Not to mention, Mokuba liked him. The more the teen CEO thought about it the more it became apparent that the blonde was actually a good fit for someone like him. Despite his lack of intelligence, Wheeler interested him. Despite his childish antics, Wheeler challenged him. He could go on and on with all that was right and wrong and yet, they still fit together. The only potential problem was making sure Wheeler saw it the way he did, of which he had no  real doubt. 

But, what was the best course of action to take?

And he had one thing pending before he should even think about making a move. 

"Mokuba."

The raven perked up and turned around, pausing his game. That wasn't a tone his brother often used. 

"Seto?"

The tall brunette stared at his brother for a few long, long seconds. "I'm interested in someone."

Mokuba's stormy eyes widened as his mouth parted open. Excitement soon washed away shock and a bright grin surfaced. "It's about time! Whose the lucky guy?"

A brunette brow rose. 

"What?" Mokuba countered with a coy grin. "You really thought I didn't know? Of course I do! Come on!"

The elder Kaiba sighed. He'd taught Mokuba well.

"It's only interest, that's all," the brunette explained. The _'for now'_ was left unsaid. 

Mokuba pouted and started rattling off why Seto would make an amazing boyfriend to which Kaiba could only smile at. 

"Hey Seto."

"Yes Mokuba?" Kaiba replied as he powered his laptop down. It was just about to be dinner time for the two. 

"Since you're going to be away next week does that mean I'll have to go on the orphanage visit alone?"

The tall brunette scowled. 

"It'll only be just that one time Mokuba," he looked at his younger brother. "Are you sure you won't just wait for my return?"

Mokuba shook his head. "I can do it, no problem."

Kaiba nodded. He hated that he'd have to skip the visit. At least Mokuba's friend will be with him so he won't be alone. 

With that settled he only had one thing to think on as he and his brother made their way downstairs, how to make Wheeler his. 

******************************************************************************

Joey tapped his pencil nervously against the desk. For once he was actually trying to focus in class, if only so he could stop focusing on the bastard that kept stealing his focus!

He was staring at him, the blonde was sure that Kaiba was staring at him! Yet, whenever Joey looked over the brunette was typing diligently away or writing obscure notes. It was driving him crazy! It made it seem as though Joey were the one who was staring at him and he wasn't! And the bastard knew what he was doing too because he would smirk oh-so-smugly whenever the blonde kept trying (and failing) to catch him. 

What was he playing at anyways? Why was Kaiba doing this? Was he bored?

Was Seto Kaiba capable of being bored?

Joey shook his head. Kaiba was just messing with him, as he'd done plenty of times before. Though, he usually was not the one to initiate it, hence the blonde's confusion. 

He hadn't made up his mind on how to act. He was sure that getting a little distance would have been best. The poor blonde needed time to lick his wounds. But how was he supposed to ignore Kaiba? Especially when it seemed like Kaiba wasn't going out of his way to pretend Joey wasn't there? 

Oh Ra. 

Just how long had he had the hots for the tall, gorgeous brunette? Was it there since before he realized he was gay? The teen CEO had always been able to get under his skin. 

The blonde groaned. 

_'Stop…over-thinking… it!!!'_

No, he hadn't liked Kaiba _'like that'_ before, but an under-layer of interest had always been there. That, he could not deny. No, he had started falling for the brunette when he realized there was more there. Kaiba attracts him sure, and saved him more times than he'd wished to admit, but there was also something… soft about him. He couldn't quite place it. 

The blonde snuck a glance at the brunette again, just out of the corner of his eyes. 

***Smirk***

_'DAMN IT!!!'_ Joey thought, dropping his pencil and crossing his arms huffily. _'That rotten, richboy prick! No good, stupid, blue-eyed, tall, muscled-'_

The blonde paused once he saw where his thoughts were going. Unbeknownst to him, he pouted rather cutely- eyebrows furrowed, lip jutted out- and sunk down further into his seat. 

_'That… hot bastard.'_

******************************************************************************

Kaiba's smirk deepened as he watched Wheeler pout. He didn't quite know why he found that so amusing on his blonde (Yes, HIS blonde. Wheeler was his, it simply wasn't official, yet). He supposed the fact that he cared for the blonde was causing him to be more amused by his antics. Though it could just be that since he was the reason for the pout he found it amusing. 

The brunette snickered inwardly. Yes, he certainly liked Wheeler's reactions to him. 

If only he were not so methodical, then the blonde would already be his- but he was still debating his approach. He wasn't one to be subtle and it seemed too simple to only declare his intentions. Kaiba was known for his grand gestures, but he did not want to do anything to overt either, not in this case. 

He supposed he could tie it in to the stupid school trip. Not only would the blonde be his but everyone would know it then, and they very damn better know it. He won't tolerate anyone trying to take what was his. Having first grown up with nothing had instilled the habit to carefully (some might say jealously) guard what was his. 

Blue eyes flickered over to Joey. The brunette recalled how good Wheeler had felt under him, pinned to his desk. The blonde was arousing mix of soft lips and a strong play of muscle. He also remembered when they were in his control room on the blimp, the inner shock he had felt at the realization the blonde was gay as well. The same blonde who had been wearing his too-large shirt at the time. 

The sudden image brought on a rush of satisfaction and desire. It only served to feed his possessive tendency. The amber-eyed teen had looked so damn good in his clothes. Surely, that was something to look forward to in the future. 

But, as the image melted away he was struck with other memories that surfaced. Memories that lit a lethal anger in him,  and that left questions unanswered. 

The brunette stared at his screen, bringing his hands together and resting his chin upon them. He was beginning to piece together what it was that made up the blonde, but there was still more he wanted, _needed_ to know. 

Kaiba shifted his eyes to Wheeler and glanced back before he could get caught, smirking when he knew those amber eyes were on him. He'll have it all soon enough. 

*****************************************************************************

"Damn."

"What's up?"

The blonde blinked. 

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Joey tilted his phone towards the raven. "I just got a missed call from Mai."

"Ah," Duke admonished. "Is she still touring Europe?"

The blonde scratched his head absentmindedly. "I think she's in Germany right now… I think."

"Well you can deal with the princess later, we have to finish packing."

Joey laughed. "I'm already done! You're the one whose trying to pack away everything he owns!"

Duke placed his hands on his hips, eyebrow raising in exasperation. He then shook his head and resumed packing. The blonde watched him in uncharacteristic silence, though he wore a grin. 

The raven sighed happily as he closed his last bag.

_'Finally,'_ Duke thought. 

"What's up with you and Tristan?"

Jade green eyes popped open excessively. 

"What?!" the raven asked shrilly. 

The blonde held his friend's gaze. "You act strange around him."

"No," the green eyes narrowed. "I don't."

Amber eyes blinked at the venom in Duke's voice. The raven turned and walked away. Joey tore after him. "Hey! Whatever happened to honesty!"

The raven stopped but he didn't turn around. 

"He rejected me," Duke breathed out. 

Joey's breath hitched, eyes filling with worry. The raven slowly turned around, eyes fierce. 

"I told him how I felt despite the fact that he's straight," Duke's voice wavered. "He however, told me we could still be friends."

Joey wanted to reach out, he wanted to do something. He'd never seen his friend hurting like this before. It wasn't like Duke, who was so light-hearted and noncommittal about everything. 

The green eyes shimmered and Duke hastily looked away, fists shaking. 

"I mean, I get it. He's straight so he's not interested but he's no asshole so he won't let this affect our friendship," the raven sucked in a breath through his teeth. "But the damn idiot has this idea stuck in his head that he's got to do his damn best to prove it! He keeps rubbing the fact that we are just friends in my face, all the time! I just want some damn space! Gimme some time to heal at least before you go on and do that! Idiot!"

The raven reached a new level of distraught and the blonde couldn't just stand there anymore. He took Duke by the hand and sat him down on his bed. Joey sat down next to him and wove an arm around his shoulders, letting Duke lean against him. A few beats passed before the green-eyed teen continued. 

"I don't know what to do Joey," Duke whispered miserably. "I don't want to lose him as a friend but he needs to back the hell off. This isn't helping me get over him. Hell, I kissed him, at your party, remember?"

"Yeah."

The raven's body gave an imperceptive shake. The blonde ignored it, along with the wetness he felt against his collarbone. "It just hurts… I need a little time to get over him that's all. He just won't give it to me!"

"I'll talk to him," Joey promised, reaching back to stroke the raven hair.

Duke stiffened momentarily. The blonde gave him a quick squeeze and his friend relaxed, nodding his head but not trusting himself to respond verbally. 

******************************************************************************

"Why does he get to travel in his jet?"

"You're seriously asking that Tristan?" Tea turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You'd think you'd know by now. It's Kaiba. Even if he has to come along on the school trip I doubt he'd travel with us."

"Some people have all the luck."

"You're a downer man," Joey put in. 

Tristan grumbled. 

"Just enjoy the flight guys," Tea said. 

"We're almost there," Yugi pointed out. 

Tristan continued complaining leaving Tea to continue scolding and Yugi occasionally chipping in his two cents. 

Joey sat back in his seat, watching Ryou play on his gameboy on his right and Duke looking out the window on his left. As much chatter as the three in front were making, the three in the back simply enjoyed the flight. 

*****************************************************************************

"Alright! I wanna check out our room!"

"Joey! Slow down!" Yugi cried out. 

The rest of the gang sweat-dropped as they watched the blonde take off, one arm around Yugi whom was hanging onto him for dear life. 

"Right," Tea drawled. "We should get to our rooms as well."

She bid the guys farewell and headed off for the girl's wing. Duke smiled at his roommate, Ryou. Tristan walked ahead of them with a tense look on his face. He'd have never expected Joey to chew him out so harshly like he had the night before. The tall teen knew things would be awkward for awhile but hopefully they'd get better sooner than later. Well-intentioned or not, he was now ashamed of how he'd tried to _'buddy-buddy'_ up to the raven so soon after rejecting him. He'd only meant to show that the little crush wouldn't disrupt the friendship. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken Duke's feelings into consideration. 

As Duke and Ryou stopped at their room, deciding to bypass the sounds coming from next door (Joey and Yugi's room), Tristan turned back and gave them a wave before going off to his room with some random classmate. 

Ryou waved farewell and Duke nodded at Tristan, thoroughly grateful that the blonde had talked to the pointy-haired brunette after all. The two roommates chatted politely as they entered their room, neither one ever having spent too much time with the other before. 

They were talking about what to do today, as it was one of two free-days of their trip, when they door banged open. 

"Hey guys! We're going to the beach!" Joey stepped inside, big goofy grin on his face. 

Duke laughed. 

"Those shades work for you Joey," the raven commented. 

Joey's grin widened. He had on a pair of shades he's forgotten he owned, a simple white t-shirt, short board shorts (they were cheaper than the long ones), and flip-flops. 

Yugi choose that moment to enter the room, behind his blonde friend. It was unfortunate for Yugi that he was so small in stature. His black tee and flip-flops were alright, but his tiny frame could only fit into _'boys'_ size vs. _'mens'_ size. His shorts were covered in duel monsters and made him look even younger than he already did. 

"Hey guys!" Yugi called with a brilliant smile. 

"Yugi!" Ryou was at the short guy's side in a matter of seconds, looking at him with impossibly wide, chocolate eyes. "You look so cute!"

Yugi blanched and his friends empathized with him. They all knew of Ryou's strange obsession with anything he found cute or adorable. 

"Umm," Yugi mumbled nervously. _'Pharaoh? Can we switch places love? Please!'_

Yami crossed his arms from within the puzzle. 

_'I apologize my hikari, but I do not want to wear your current outfit.'_

_'Yami!'_ Yugi screamed internally, in clear desperation. 

_'You'll forgive me!'_ Yami called out confidently before closing himself off in his soul room so as not to incur his other half's wrath. Yugi blinked as he came back to, Ryou still sparkly eyed before him. 

"Beach time!" Yugi burst out, taking care to grab Joey's hand and make for a quick exit. The poor albino blinked owlishly as he realized Joey and Yugi were gone. 

Ryou let out a squeak when Duke slung an arm around him. 

"Come on, let's meet them at the beach," the raven's breath tickled his ear. 

The pale teen stood perfectly still as Duke let go of him to go change in the bathroom. It was only when he turned and caught his reflection that he noticed it. 

He was blushing. 

******************************************************************************

"Tea! Tristan!"

"Hey Joey!" Tea smiled brilliantly in a red bikini. "Where's Yugi?"

The blonde flicked a thumb over at a concession stand. "He's getting some sodas."

"Oh okay, I'll go help him."

Joey waved her off and Tristan plopped down beside him. "You hitting the water man?"

The blonde grinned. 

"Last one there has to change into a speedo!" Joey yelled as he leapt up and ran, discarding his shirt next to his shades and flip-flops. 

"No fair! Cheater!" Tristan bellowed as he took off after him. His longer legs served their purpose as he managed to catch up to the blonde mere yards away from the shoreline. They both dove into the water once it was deep enough and quickly came up for air. 

"I win! I got here first!" Both light-eyed teens glared at each other. "Liar! I won! Go change into the speedo!"

"Just man up and admit defeat Tristan," Joey threw a hand up into the air and brought it down into a fist before him, chin growing out at an odd angle. "You lost!"

Tristan's face became equally disturbing. "No way bud! I won and you know it!"

Their verbal spar ended with a whack to each head. 

"Hey!" they both shouted. 

"Honestly you two," Tea scolded, while the others snickered behind her. 

"When did you guys get here?" Joey asked. 

"If you hadn't been bickering like children you would have noticed," the female pointed out. 

"Oh yeah," the blonde smiled wickedly. "Well, lets see how you like this!"

Joey proceeded to dive underwater and gave her leg enough of a yank to fully submerge her. And, because Joey was Joey, he went on and yanked down the rest of his friends as well. 

One by one they came back up, gasping for breath and momentarily flapping about. The honey-eyed teen rose up at a bit of a distance and smiled back at all of them. 

"After him!" Tristan boomed. 

"You won't get away Joey!" Yugi cried out cheerfully. 

"I am so getting you back for this!" Duke promised. He hadn't wanted to get his hair wet with salty ocean water. 

"Joey!" Tea growled. 

Ryou was the only one who kept quiet, though his grin was mischivieous as he too chased after the blonde. 

Joey was a good swimmer and he had a head start. He was sure he had plenty of distance between his friends and himself which may be why he gave out a shrilly cry when Ryou popped up out of the water next to him, hands reaching out to grasp at him. The blonde tore out of the water at an impossible speed, heading straight for the shoreline. He didn't dare look back. 

"Eeehh!" Joey cried as he started pumping his legs once he hit land. The sand hardly slowed him down as he dove behind the concessions stand. He slumped against the wall trying to regain his breath. Daring a peek, he poked his head around the corner. 

His friends were all out of the water, but they were not searching for him. He blinked in confusion and then noticed they were engaged in conversation with a newcomer. 

Joey squinted. 

No. It couldn't be... 

But as the tall brunette turned around Joey saw that it was. 

What the hell was Seto Kaiba doing at the beach!?

****************************************************************************

Kaiba was disappointed. He'd come to the beach for his blonde but instead only found his friends, no blonde in sight. 

He sighed. 

He wasn't the type to play nice but he knew he'd at least have to be civil so long as he wanted things to work with Wheeler. He'd be damned if he'd be denied what he wanted based on his own fault. 

At least the geek squad wasn't being irritating. Who'd have thought that all those times they's approached him to hang-out and nagged on and on about friendship, the best way to shut them up was to actually say yes. So long as he were near in proximity and mindlessly answered questions or comments sent his way they were happy. Kaiba could almost laugh at the simplicity. It bode well for the future. 

"Is Joey still hiding somewhere?" Duke asked. 

Kaiba shifted his eyes away from his tablet. Yep, that got his attention. 

"He knows what's coming to him once he shows up," Tristan muttered with a smirk. Duke allowed a small smile. At Kaiba's raised brow Yugi explained. 

"Joey dunked all of us in the water earlier," the small teen smiled. "He probably thinks we're still trying to get back at him."

The teen CEO smirked. 

"You bet we are!" Tristan exclaimed. 

"Speak for yourself," Tea commented. 

"I agree with Tea," Ryou added, swapping smiles with her. "Too much effort."

"What?!"

"Joey will only think of something even worse in retaliation," Yugi reasoned. 

"Ugh," Tristan grumbled, flopping back onto his towel. 

"And here he comes," the raven pointed out. 

Kaiba turned to look a the blonde headed their way. 

Joey was smiling nervously, one hand behind his head as the other held onto a plastic bag. He held it out before him once he reached them. "I brought snacks."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Fine, you're forgiven."

Joey tossed the bag to his pointy-haired buddy, looked around and then sat down next to Yugi, the only open spot which also happened to put him closest to Kaiba. 

The tall brunette sat in a lawn chair, legs splayed out as he typed on a tablet. His lengthy form was clad in a thin white material, made for beachwear. Only his feet, hands, and a generous amount of pale chest were bare. 

Joey felt heat rise to his cheeks and looked away. 

Kaiba took that moment to appreciate the view. 

Lightly tanned skin wrapped a wiry and compact build. His blue eyes roved over the supple chest, thin waist, and golden hair. He had no idea why Wheeler wore the smaller shorts vs. the longer more popular ones but he wasn't going to think too much on it. They suited the blonde and better showed off his muscular thighs. 

He could just imagine them wrapped around him as he-

The blonde looked back at him and they met eyes. 

"Kaiba," Joey nodded to him, mouth dry. 

The brunette smirked at him, enjoying the way those amber eyes could not leave his. "Wheeler."

Joey mustered up his courage. "What brings you here?"

Kaiba shrugged noncommittally. 

_'You.'_

"The beach has its… attractions."

The blonde would normally have flushed at the slight innuendo but the intense stare gripped him. 

"Like what?" Joey blurted out thoughtlessly. 

Something flashed in the ocean eyes. 

"Like-"

"Hey!"

The two turned to stare at the pointy-haired brunette who had sat back up and was glaring in their direction. "How come you'll talk to Joey and not us?"

"What do you mean Tristan?" Yugi expressed. "Kaiba was talking to us earlier."

"I mean," Tristan returned. "That he hardly gave us one-word answers but he talks to Joey like its nothing!"

Everyone was looking at them now. Kaiba eyes swept through them all, assessing each one of them. 

Joey looked confused, nothing new there. Tristan looked put-out, he wasn't the type to catch on quick apparently (if at all). Tea and Yugi held curious gazes, but he could tell the wheels were turning. Ryou simply looked unbothered and Duke…

Kaiba narrowed his eyes a the raven. Duke looked like he knew exactly what was going on. 

_'Figures,'_ the tall brunette thought. 

As he was about to make a remark he was interrupted, once again. 

"Kaiba!"

The gang turned to see a gaggle of their female classmates staring openly at the tall brunette. One even looked like she might be drooling. 

Kaiba only gave them an impatient look. 

A few started blabbering but it was all background noise to him. He did however, pay attention to the amount of people beginning to gather around all of them. They were drawing more and more attention, classmates and tourists alike. 

His eyes returned to settle on Joey who now looked completely baffled. The blonde felt his stare and cocked his head up at him. This wasn't what he planned, but…

"I've never been one for spontaneity," Kaiba said, more to himself. 

Amber eyes widened as Kaiba set his device down and stood up to his full height. "Get up."

"What?!"

Kaiba stifled a groan at the response. "Stand up, Joey."

The blonde's mouth dropped open. His friends all wore shocked expressions behind him, even Duke. 

"Did he just call him Joey?" Ryou whispered to no one in particular. 

"Yeah," Tea mumbled absentmindedly. 

When the blonde still didn't move the tall brunette formed a tic mark on his head. 

"I'm not going to ask you again," he bit out, failing to keep in his sudden frustration. Joey snapped out of his stupor and shot to his feet. 

"There! Happy!?" the blonde burst out, throwing his hands up into the air. 

Joey faltered when Kaiba smirked and took a step towards him. "Tell me, Joey…"

Kaiba took another step. "What do you think of me?"

The tall brunette slid up against him, mere inches separating their faces due to their difference in height. 

"Be completely honest, I want everyone to hear it," the teen CEO bore down on him. "Don't hold anything back."

The blonde's entire being locked in place. He couldn't move. 

_'What do I think of him? Why is he…?'_

Sweat gathered in his palms. 

_'You're a bastard.'_

His heart picked up its pace. 

_'You're gorgeous.'_

His head felt light. 

_'You drive me insane and piss me off.'_

His legs felt like they might just give out. 

_'You've also saved me… more than once.'_

Joey clenched his hands to keep them from shaking. 

_'You're the reason… I want to be better…'_

His eyes dimmed. 

_'To no longer be worthless… to feel good about myself… never again be the underdog…'_

The blonde's mouth parted open. 

_'I want to be with you… but I… I'm not… '_

Joey blushed heavily and tilted his head to look down but a firm hand swept into his locks, cradling the back of his head, and turned his face back up. 

"Fine, let me show you what I think of you."

The blonde hardly registered the words, only the gruff tone coming out of the full, pale lips. 

"What do you think you're doing you bastard!? Let my bud g-"

It was interesting, the absolute muted shock that seemed to take ahold of everyone in the vicinity. But what else could one expect?

Seto Kaiba did after all initiate a heated kiss with one Joey Wheeler in front of everyone. 

**********************************************************************************

There were so many ways Joey could have reacted. 

He could have pulled back and hit the asshole for all he’s worth. He could have run off. Started raving like a lunatic. Literally frozen in shock.

Heck, he could have fainted like a little girl. 

But... the moment the pale lips were on his, Kaiba’s essence filled his senses and he’d responded in kind.

Their first kiss had been needy and quick, as if to prove a point. Sparks flickered but didn’t stay lit. The onslaught of new sensations had left Joey in a daze. But this was new in an entirely different way. 

Kaiba’s mouth was hot on his. The contact shot tingles through his body. The brunette’s tongue had only given his lips a quick swipe before plundering through and taking a taste of the blonde’s mouth, still sweet from the fruity soda he had been sipping on earlier. 

Joey pushed his body forward, enjoying the feeling of the thinly-dressed CEO against him. His arms held onto his taller companion while Kaiba kept one hand firmly locked in his hair and the other on his hip. 

It was a passionate mess and certainly not short. It came to an end as the brunette pulled back and both sets of eyes flickered open. They remained close enough to exchange panting breaths. The racket around them was distant. 

Kaiba’s expression was triumphant as he looked down at Joey. He let go of the blonde all too suddenly and stepped back. He ignored the bewildered expression he was sent as he picked up his tablet and fished a card out of his pocket.  

“Here,” the brunette said gruffly, thrusting it to Joey who took it on reflex. 

“What’s this?”

“The key card to my room,” Kaiba stepped back towards him, loving the shiver that ran through the blonde as he leaned down to whisper in his ear. “If you want answers, be at my room at 8 o’ clock sharp, tonight.”

The tall brunette smirked and walked off, deciding to leave it at that. He didn’t care to answer any of the thunderous questions or cries sent his way as he headed for the hotel. 

That, unfortunately, left the frazzled blonde to the onslaught. 

The noises around him were no longer distant as they came crashing around him all at once. Or more specifically, they came down upon him the moment he felt another’s touch that he could distinctly pick up as not Kaiba’s. He had a short moment of irrationality at the thought that he could pick out Kaiba’s specific touch. 

Tristan was shaking him. “Joey! Are you okay man? Joey!”

The blonde pushed Tristan off of him. 

Oh Ra. Did he just...? Kaiba and he...?

His face flashed red as his eyes darted around. Oh Ra, they kissed in front of everyone!Everyone!

People were making noise all around him. Kaiba’s fangirls in particular were screeching something fierce. His friends were looking at him with wide eyes. 

The blonde looked down. It was too much. 

He needed to get away. So, Joey did the first thing that came to mind and he ran. Ran as fast as he could, head down, key card clenched tightly in his hand. 

******************************************************************************

“Did that... really just happen?”

Tea’s question seemed to snap the others awake. 

“I think so,” Yugi murmured. 

Tristan stared after the speck-of-a-blonde. 

“We should go after him!” the pointy-haired brunette cried. 

“No,” Duke stated firmly taking the others by surprise. “We shouldn’t. Just leave him alone for awhile.”

Tristan rounded on him. “What for?!”

Yugi shocked everyone by stepping in between them. 

“Calm down Tristan!” Yugi cried out. His lavender eyes then fixed themselves on the raven. “Did you know about this?”

Duke took in their faces: Yugi’s, Tristan’s, Tea’s. One incredulous face to the next. 

“Yes,” the green-eyed teen answered. 

The nonchalant way Duke confessed caused Tristan to blow his top. He grabbed Duke by his shoulders and squeezed. “Start talking!”

“Tristan! Stop!” Yugi yelled, trying to pull the taller teen off of the raven. 

“Let him go Tristan!” Tea demanded, standing up. 

“Not until he tells me what-”

Tristan was cut off abruptly as he was thrown off and stumbled backwards. Everyone stared at the albino teen in shock. 

“Ryou,” Duke breathed out in surprise. The light haired teen stared at Tristan defiantly. 

“Enough,” Ryou demanded trying not to pant and hoping the pointy-haired brunette relaxed. It had taken all of his strength to push off the taller teen. “Don’t pick on Duke. I knew about them as well.”

“What?!”

The brunette looked like he was going to advance on the two of them. 

“Tristan!” Yugi yelled once more, preparing to switch places with the Pharaoh if it came down to it. 

“All right! All of you stop!” Tea bellowed throwing herself between each group of guys, Tristan and Yugi, Duke and Ryou. “Tristan, calm down and let Ryou and Duke explain just what is going on.”

The pointy-haired brunette visibly deflated under her scorn. He stepped back, though there was still an edge to him. Everyone else let out an audible sigh. 

“Thank you Ryou,” Duke whispered. 

Ryou pinked up and smiled cheerfully at the raven. 

“It was nothing,” the albino claimed, reaching up to scratch his cheek. 

The raven smiled at the obviously flustered albino. Ryou was pretty cu-

“Just explain already,” Tristan huffed. 

Ryou and Duke exchanged sympathizing glances. 

“Joey told me in confidence,” Duke said. 

“I picked it up from watching them,” Ryou put in. 

“And?” Tristan pushed. “You haven’t explained anything yet. Why the heck did Kaiba kiss Joey like that! Why would he try to humiliate him in that way!?”

“Have you forgotten already?” Duke put out, clearly irritated. “Joey’s gay!”

“I know that!”

“So is Kaiba,” Ryou finished. 

“Wow,” Yugi chipped in. 

“Interesting,” Tea remarked. 

“Interesting?!” Tristan spluttered. 

“They’ve been interested in each other for awhile now,” Ryou cleared up. 

“Wow,” Yugi repeated. 

_‘Joey and Kaiba, Aibou?’_

_‘I know Pharaoh,’_ Yugi addressed inwardly. _‘It’s hard to believe.’_

“I didn’t know,” Tea admitted, bringing a hand up to her mouth in shock. 

Tristan’s face only became more incredulous. “What?!”

Duke resisted the urge to face-palm.

“Joey and Kaiba like each other,” the raven clearly spelled out. 

Confusion flashed Tristan’s hazel’s eyes. 

“Joey and Kaiba! No way! Even if they’re both gay...” Tristan shook his head. “Joey would have said something! He would have told us!”

“Well he didn’t! Obviously!”

“Why would Joey not tell us?” Tea asked. 

“Why would he tell you guys and not us?”

The raven just about grabbed the tall brunette. He itched to throttle him. 

“What _exactly_ is _wrong_ with _us_?!” Duke spat, gesturing to Ryou and himself. 

“That’s not what he meant,” Yugi tried to interfere.

Duke only repeated himself, growing angrier at saying the words a second time. Tristan stepped up to the raven, causing everyone else to worry. 

“We’re,” Tristan gestured to Yugi, Tea, and himself. “His _best_ friends.”

The raven grew livid at the way Tristan emphasized _‘best.’_

“And yet you know nothing real about him do you?”

“That’s not our fault! He didn’t tell us!”

“It is your fault!” Duke glared daggers at the tall brunette. “None of you pay enough attention! You literally need to have everything thrown in your face before you start to care!”

“I’ve known him longer than anyone else here!” Tristan roared. “Don’t tell me I don’t care! Stop acting like you know it all!”

“I know more than you! I’m his friend too!”

“None of us would have kept that to ourselves! We would have all tried to help him! Friendship sometimes means having to help a friend even if he doesn’t want it! You obviously know nothing of what true friendship is! You’re nothing!”

Silence. 

Shock.

Hurt. 

For a clear second, hurt was written all over Duke’s face for all to see. Tristan immediately repented. He was just mad and worried about his best buddy. He hadn’t meant what he said. He hadn’t.

“Duke, I- I’m so-”

The sound of bone pushing up against flesh made a resounding crack!

The raven didn’t wait for a reaction, like Joey had earlier he turned and ran. Ryou made a split-second decision and followed after him. 

Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were left watching after them, the later holding onto his cheek where Duke had socked him. 

Hazel eyes found blue and lavender. “I didn’t mean it you guys.”

Yugi smiled softly. “I know Tristan.”

The tall brunette cursed. How did everything just become so wrong?

******************************************************************************

He hadn’t gone to his room. He knew the others would look for him there. The blonde wasn’t all too sure where he was. He had run blindly, focused only on getting away. At that moment he was hidden away, up in a cluster of trees, in some random park, trying to quell his rapidly-beating heart. 

Why had he run?

Joey felt so ashamed. His cheeks burned hot in humiliation (and partly from all the running). 

He should have stayed. He was supposed to be better than this now! Why was he always running from everything!

Hot tears pricked his eyes. He made a fist and slammed it against the tree trunk he was sitting on. 

They deserved the truth... that he was a bigger mess than they thought. And he deserved to know the truth as well.

Kaiba had promised answers. 

Joey closed his eyes, pushed the tears back. He needed to get himself together. Take this moment to reign himself in. The blonde jumped down. 

Screw 8 PM. 

Kaiba was going to talk, now. 

******************************************************************************

He had kissed him. 

Oh Ra, why had he kissed him?

The teen glared at himself in the mirror with his piercing orbs. He was stricken with the need to take it back. 

Yeah, he was used to doing as he liked, even indulging impulses, but this was beyond impulsive!

The young business man gripped the edges of the sink. What should he do now?

The person he’d kissed was waiting on the other side of the locked door. He owed it to the other teen to apologize, to explain, to seek forgiveness, to something! But he couldn’t move. He remained rooted to the spot. 

_‘Get a fucking grip!’_ he berated himself. His sharp eyes slid to the door, trying to imagine how the other teen must be feeling. But, the thought only served to remind him of the soft gasp the other teen let out when his lips descended down. 

Duke sighed heavily. 

He hadn’t meant to, but Ryou had looked so... so...

The pink blushes, the soft tone of voice, the gleam in the brown eyes. 

The raven shook his head. 

He was hurting and he knew it. Ryou had offered him comfort, which he took advantage of. Worst of all- he’d liked it. 

Duke groaned. He didn’t want to like it. He was still recovering from Tristan’s rejection, and that heated argument now on top of it- he didn’t want to add more rejection on top of that, even if it was just rejection of his advances versus that of himself. 

The raven took a breath. He should just get it over with. With only slight hesitance, he unlocked the door and opened it. 

******************************************************************************

Ice blue eyes locked with brown. 

“You’re early.”

Joey ignored the blunt statement and pushed his way through. Despite trying to calm himself beforehand he could feel his nerves bubbling up inside of him. He tugged at the collar of his shirt as his eyes swept the expansive suite (he changed into his street clothes before coming up straight to the top). Save for the different decor it was similar to the one he’d walked into as **_Katsuya_**. 

The blonde’s hands twitched. 

He hadn’t forgotten what Kaiba had said to him when he was **_Katsuya_**. It was why he had to resolve this, now. His heart couldn’t take any games. 

“Take a seat Wheeler.”

The statement startled him and he had to stop himself from turning around mid-motion. The conversation would probably flow much better if he didn’t look at the teen CEO much. Not that that would last long but he had to try. 

Joey sat down on one end of one of the couches, listening intently to Kaiba moving about. He exhaled a breath of relief when Kaiba came back and set a cup before him before seating himself across on the other couch instead of next to him. 

The blonde grabbed the cup and took a long swig. Amber eyes took in the casual black turtleneck and slacks the brunette was wearing over the rim of his cup.

“Are you going to keep staring or are you going to start asking questions?” Kaiba took a sip of his own and smirked. “Not that I mind if you keep looking, you’re simply not the silent type.”

Joey felt heat rise to his cheeks. “You’re the one who said ya had answers.”

“Touche.”

Silence once again passed. 

“Fine then, why did you kiss me?” the blonde prompted. 

The tall brunette outright laughed, unknowing that Joey took it as though he were laughing at him. “You really do need to have everything spelled out clearly for you don’t you?”

The blonde’s grip tightened around the cup. 

“Don’t look down on me Kaiba,” the blonde said, hating the way the brunette was smiling coyly at him. 

“I’m only teasing you Wheeler. You make it too easy.”

Joey couldn’t keep his anger down. He stood up. “Why don’t you just answer the damn question!”

That wiped away any trace of amusement on Kaiba’s face. “If it makes you feel better then I’ll be straight from now on, just relax.”

“You know what, all I want is for you to stop messing with me.”

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed and he stood up himself. “And just what makes you think I’m messing around Wheeler?”

Joey didn’t flinch from the bite in the tone.

_‘My interests lie elsewhere.’_

The blonde grit his teeth as the memory surfaced. 

_‘With someone far better and far more worthy than you.’_

“Trust me Kaiba, I know I’m only scum in your eyes.”

The brunette winced, on the inside that is, his facial expression didn’t give away much. He’d anticipated a reaction like this though it was certainly one of the ones he least hoped for. 

“I know things have often been difficult between us.”

“Understatement of the century Richboy.”

Blue eyes found amber orbs at the use of the insult. How long has it been since he last heard it? How much time had passed since he himself referred to the blonde as mutt? He shook the thought away. The brunette had to remind himself Joey must be terribly confused. It was simply difficult not to rise and bait him. He liked teasing the blonde. 

“It hasn’t all been bad, has it?”

Joey unclenched his fists. The blonde couldn’t really dispute that could he?

“That doesn’t give you the right to mess with my head.”

“For the last time, I’m not messing with you.”

“Yes you are!”

“How?’

“How?!” Joey stepped up to the tall brunette. “You shouldn’t go around kissing people you don’t like for starters!”

Kaiba smirked once again. “I don’t.”

The look the brunette gave him caused Joey to momentarily falter. He quickly regained his ground however. “I know what you think of me.”

“And what is that?”

Joey looked away. His hands were shaking. Kaiba’s eyes narrowed at the motion. 

“Enough of this,” the brunette called as he took a hold of Joey’s chin and tilted it to face him. “I don’t do things like that with people I don’t like.”

The blonde. unbelievably, missed the point. 

“You only like Mokuba,” Joey blew out. 

_‘And that worthy someone,’_ the blonde’s heart lurched at that thought. 

“For starters, I love my little brother,” Kaiba emphasized. “If it wasn’t for that damn teacher I’d be with him on the visit instead of being here.”

A blonde brow rose. “Visit?”

Kaiba studied him. “We visit the orphanage we were once in every year.”

It was a slow buildup. 

_‘The orphanage... once a year...’_

Joey felt ice fill him as horror spelled in his eyes. He remembered the photo in Kaiba’s room. That had to be the one he was referring to. **_That orphanage._**

More memories surfaced. 

The guilt, the horrible guilt- it was threatening to swallow him up. The blonde toppled to his knees. 

“Wheeler!”

The brunette reached out and grabbed him before he fell down any further. The blonde shook in his arms. “Wheeler! Joey! What’s wrong?”

Kaiba brushed the blond bangs out of Joey’s eyes. “Joey.”

The glazed amber eyes slowly began to clear. 

“Seto?”

The brunette’s shoulders lost their tension. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Joey pushed back the tears that tempted to slip out. He straightened himself up to his knees. 

“Are you alright?”

The blonde shook his head, heart tight with dread. 

“The orphanage,” Joey whispered. It hit him all at once then. 

“Mokuba!” the blonde burst throwing his hands out to catch Kaiba’s shoulders. “We have to save him!”

“What?!” Kaiba called in disbelief. “He’s in danger?”

Joey let him go and stood up on shaky legs. “Call him up! Tell him to stay away from the orphanage!”

“I can’t reach him by phone,” Kaiba stood to his full height. “We leave them at home during the visit, always.”

“You have security right?”

Kaiba grit his teeth. “No, I gave them the day off.”

Joey’s face crumpled. It caused an uncomfortable sting in the brunette’s heart. 

“Your jet!” the blonde cried. “We can ride it back real quick right?!”

“Yes.”

The blonde grabbed Kaiba and started leading him out the door. “Is Mokuba there now? If he is how long will he be there? Can we get to him in time?”

Kaiba too a few long strides in order to take the lead. He closed the suite behind them and dragged Joey towards the end of the hallway. He slid his key card in to the end door and took the blonde upstairs to the roof where his blue eyes jet waited. The brunette opened the hatch, stepped up onto the foothold, and helped Joey into the backseat. He seated himself up in front, closed up the hatch, and passed back a headset. 

“If I push it, we’ll arrive about 20 minutes or so after Mokuba is due to arrive at the orphanage. Our visits usually run a few hours,” the brunette replied as they strapped themselves in and he got his jet going. Due to having no runway on the roof he’ll have to take off helicopter style and then pick up speed into the sky ( **I don’t care that this is not possible, this is fanFICTION for a reason!** ). 

The blonde tensed. “Okay.”

Kaiba focused on taking off before speaking again. 

“Mokuba’s safety isn’t something I’d ever gamble on which is why I’ve yet to question you on anything but I do want answers Joey. You clearly know something I don’t.”

Joey fisted his hand in his jeans and looked out the window. “You’ve probably heard rumors... I haven’t led the easiest life.”

Kaiba scoffed as he made a few motions and picked up speed. 

“Divorced parents, you’re separated from your sister, you’re ex-yakuza, and your father is abusive to boot,” the brunette’s grip momentarily tightened on the controls. “Not the ‘ _easiest life’_ isn’t the way I’d describe it.”

The blonde smiled grimly. 

“Okay,” Joey rolled his eyes tiredly. “Don’t believe all the rumors. I was never yakuza. The gang I was in was mostly made up of wannabes, we were just kids. And my father wasn’t so abusive as he was a messed-up drunk.”

“The scars on your body, especially the ones on your back, tell a different story.”

Shock permeated through the blonde before he shook it off. 

“I’ll admit some are my father’s but don’t make assumptions like that when you don’t have all the facts. It was someone else who did the heavy damage.”

Kaiba stayed silent for a few moments. “Who?”

The blonde didn’t respond. 

“Who?!” the brunette pushed. 

“A man,” Joey relented. “The same man you’re brother is to meet up with.”

Kaiba’s voice dripped down into a tone so dark it sent a chill crawling up the blonde’s back, even though he knew it wasn’t truly directed at him. “Explain. Now.”

The blonde nodded absently. He crossed his arms around himself hoping he wouldn’t resort to shaking. He never imagined this to be the way he’d spill his deepest, darkest secret. There was a little comfort at least in knowing he wouldn’t have to see Kaiba face to face. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to handle the brunette’s judging eyes. 

“I once stayed at the orphanage Mokuba and yourself were in.”

“That’s impossible. There’s no record of-”

“There wouldn’t be a record,” Joey interrupted, not in the moment to care that Kaiba had searched him up. “My father knew the director. I was there unofficially. It was only temporary. My old man didn’t want to make a big hassle and the director owed him a favor.”

Kaiba waited a beat. “I was there when I was 8 years old.”

“I was 7,” Joey replied. “Maybe we just missed each other.”

The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat as he continued. 

“My father wasn’t always... what he eventually became. He used to be a good man but he never made a lot of money. When Serenity got sick her hospital bills started mounting and father took to booze. He slowly became angry, and a dead-beat. My mother took Serenity and left us behind. She likened me to my father and told me I’d grow up to be a monster like him. I cried when I chased after her car, watching my little sister get further and further away until she was gone. It’d be 7 years till I saw her again.”

Joey shifted uncomfortably. “The divorce left my father flat broke. He decided to cash in his favor so I’d have a decent place to stay until he got himself back together. Back then, he really did care.”

Kaiba ignored the feelings swimming in his chest. He opened up a holo map of domino city. He cursed himself for giving his security team the day off. Even if he called them up he’d be able to reach Mokuba faster (and he had to make sure for himself that he was okay). The orphanage was a little out of the way of the city, making for a close landing. He couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to be so lax, but he hadn’t predicted Mokuba would be in danger at the orphanage. Fuck!

“The director was kind but he... Kiyoshi... he was something else.”

Joey wavered. “His name means purity... it couldn’t possibly be further from the truth.”

The blonde placed a hand over his heart, trying to calm the swell of emotions in his chest. “I drew Kiyoshi’s eye, and from then on he viciously tortured me during my 2 month stay. It all ended when he attempted to rape me.”

The blonde said all this quickly and despite trying his best he could not keep from shaking. His breathing deepened and his eyes glossed over. 

Furious anger rose up in the brunette, burning deeply in the pit of his core. He had a vague recollection of Kiyoshi, one of the caretakers at the orphanage. The man came off as simply polite. It angered Kaiba to learn what was hiding behind the mask. That man had tortured his blonde, could hurt his brother.

“Why have you kept this to yourself! Why did you never turn him in?!”

The blonde withdrew in on himself.

“Mokuba may be safe...” Joey whispered as a stray tear rolled down his cheek. 

“What do you mean! You just admitted Kiyoshi abused you! Horribly!”

“But he only did that to me!” the blonde burst out, unable to keep the tears from rolling out. “He told me I was _special_. That he’d never _liked_ a child before, until I came along.”

“Why then? Why you?”

Joey choked up and clenched his fists in his lap. “He liked my eyes... my v-voice...”

The blonde closed his amber orbs as pain tore through his heart. “For all I know, I’m the only one he ever did that to... but, I can’t be sure...”

He sucked back a sob. 

“Mokuba might be safe, but without you there he could be in danger... maybe...”

“I won’t take that chance.”

The blonde nodded, feeling as though his soul were hollow. He’d never told this to a single soul before. His great shame. Kaiba was right, he should have done something about this long ago; but fear, terror had always stunted any action, kept it all buried within him. 

“Kiyoshi was careful not to get caught, but he also didn’t seem to care if he did. He seemed mad. It’s why Mokuba might not be safe. Even though he’s your brother, Kiyoshi’s mad.”

Kaiba caught the blonde’s reflection on the window pane and cursed. He couldn’t offer him comfort right now, flying at this speed required focus. Another look at Joey however had him cursing again. The blonde’s broken expression poked at his heart. He couldn’t deny he was starting to become soft. 

A pale hand reached back. “Give me your hand Joey.”

The blonde blinked the last of his tears out of his eyes. Tentatively he reached out. Kaiba held his hand for a moment the gently pulled, keeping his other hand firmly on the controls. When the pull didn’t stop the blonde got out of his seat and hunched over the back of Kaiba’s. The brunette pulled him down until Joey’s head came to rest on his shoulder, temples pressed together. The pale hand let go of the tan one and reached up to thread itself in the blonde locks. 

“I’ll take care of Kiyoshi. I swear it.”

Joey felt a warmth spread throughout his chest, slowly pushing away at all the other emotions. His eyes glistened as he reached up with his own hand to place it on top of Kaiba’s. 

“O-okay.”

**********************************************************************************

Duke shifted, to better angle himself over the slightly smaller body below his. Their lips were interlocked; a hot, needy hunger fueling their desire. The raven’s lips made a wet pop as he disconnected in order to trace bites, licks, and sucks down the pale jawline, up and down the smooth throat and all the way back up to the earlobe. The pale teen subject to this attention moaned whole-heartedly, bucking his thin hips upwards as desire quickly pooled in his lower regions. 

The raven bit down on the pale earlobe and shifted himself up. 

“Gods Ryou,” jade green eyes heated over warm brown. “If you do that I won’t be able to hold back.”

Ryou’s chocolate eyes darkened. 

“Maybe I want more,” the pale teen said quite boldly. 

The instant need to say _‘fuck it all’_ and take Ryou right then and there till he was screaming was overwhelming. In those few seconds the raven felt himself harden, eyes flickering with desire. Damn him though, for having a conscious. 

Duke lifted himself off of the other and sat himself down on the edge of the bed. 

“No, you wouldn’t like that and we both know it,” the raven spouted. “Too much.”

Light came back to Ryou’s eyes. His healthy flush deepened out of embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry,” the light-haired teen whispered. 

“Me too. I-” Duke promptly closed his mouth a he assessed Ryou’s state. He reached out and gave the pale teen’s thigh a squeeze. “Hey.”

Solemn eyes turned to him. 

“It’s not like I don’t want to,” the raven breathed evenly, slight smile tugging at his lips. “It just... wouldn’t be right.”

“Fine.”

Duke groaned. Ryou’s tone clearly suggested he was anything but fine. “Ryou-”

“It’s fine Duke,” Ryou mumbled. “I understand.”

The raven sighed. “I do want to...but-”

“But nothing.”

The raven glared at the pale boy who turned his back to him quite decidedly. “It’s not nothing.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Dammit Ryou,” the raven cursed. “It’s Bakura!”

The pale boy gasped and involuntarily turned. Hurt was written all over his face. 

Jade eyes immediately widened. He hadn’t expected such a reaction. 

“Ryou. Ryou... I-”

“Don’t.”

“But-”

“I don’t want to talk about him,” the pale boy broke out harshly. 

Ryou made a point of turning his back to Duke again and curled in on himself. 

The raven’s eyes softened at the move. It didn’t seem right to see Ryou, kind-hearted Ryou like this. But just as he made to speak again there was a knock at their door. Duke cursed. 

“We can talk later okay?”

The raven received no response from the other teen. Duke frowned as he went to open the door. A short silence followed once he did as the teens all stared at one another. 

“Umm, hi,” Yugi called with a tense smile. 

“...hey,” the raven returned in a slow drawl. 

His eyes were focused on Yugi, but he could tell Tristan and Tea were also in the hallway. He moved aside. 

“Come in,” Duke said, keeping his gaze to the ground as the trio swept inside. 

“Ryou? Is something wrong?” Tea asked as she sat on the bed and reached out to the pale boy. 

Ryou turned around and sat up. He was smiling. “Perfectly fine Tea. Well, maybe just a little tired. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to be sure,” she replied. 

Duke’s frown appeared once more. Such an easy liar.

“So,” Yugi began. “I think we all need to talk.”

The tension in the room immediately became palpable. Knowing the boys were too hard-headed Tea decided to start the conversation. 

“A lot of things were said back there,” she said, referencing to what had happened earlier at the beach. “We need to resolve these issues.”

“And you guys honestly think this is the best way to do this?”

The tone Duke used to ask that question caused everyone else to shift uncomfortably, even Ryou who it wasn’t directed to. 

“Maybe not,” Tea remarked. “But we’re doing it anyways. It’s one thing to fight over something legitimate but getting angry over stupid misunderstandings isn’t worth it.”

“It wasn’t a misunderstanding Tea. It was more of a revelation of truth,” Duke clarified, voice coldly even. 

Yugi shook his head. 

The raven normally was better at maintaining control, but there’s been such an overflow of emotions lately that he just lost it. His anger sparked. “You would side with her wouldn’t you?!”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Tristan jumped in, unable to stay back with the way Duke was snapping at Tea and Yugi. 

“It’s always like this,” the raven said almost spitefully. 

“Like what?” Yugi asked, perplexed. 

“You guys!” the raven burst out vehemently. “As I said before, you’re so caught up in yourselves or in each other, that you leave everything and _everyone_ else out.”

“I don’t-”

“Will you all just shut up and listen for once!” Duke interrupted Tristan. “For fucking once just listen and listen closely.”

Tristan looked taken-aback at the outburst while Tea made a move to speak her mind. However, a soft touch on her arm silenced her. Yugi only removed his hand after giving her a small shake of his head _‘no,’_ without so much as looking at her. His eyes were focused on the raven before him who looked entirely like he was about to reveal something unsettling. 

The Pharaoh at times felt forgotten when he was not before other’s eyes but he had been silently watching everything that had been going on from the inside. His lips formed a tight line as he agreed with his aibou. The ancient spirit had a pretty good idea of just what was to come. It was only a wonder no one had ever noticed it before, not even himself. It simply seemed so obvious now. 

“What Tristan had said back there wasn’t wrong,” the raven began. “Ryou and I are separate from the rest of you. We are often left out and I know it’s not done purposefully.”

Tristan opened his mouth to retort but a quick flash of those green orbs silenced him. In fact, he was almost disturbed by the lack of emotion in them at the current moment. Never had Duke ever looked so damn cold. It was a look Kaiba himself would approve of. 

Ryou couldn’t help but to sit up and look over at the raven who had his side turned to him. He knew the truth behind what Duke was saying. 

“Nothing that you say or think otherwise will change fact. Ryou and I are not part of the damn inner circle that you guys have going on. The only one who treated us any differently, or I should say who treated us the same as he would anyone else was Joey. He never once made myself or Ryou feel the way the rest of you sometimes do.”

Duke continued on. “You’re not bad people, that’s not what I’m trying to insinuate. But, none of you realize just how much stock you put into your own group dynamics. I meant it when I said earlier that you only take notice of things when they are thrust upon you, otherwise you would have noticed how Ryou and I were often left out despite being considered your friends or how Joey was keeping secrets.”

Duke paused for a moment and unfortunately others took it as a cue to jump in. 

“How is it that you would notice something was off with Joey? Why would he go to you and not us?”

The raven felt like grinding his teeth. Both at the way Tristan implied _‘you’_ and because he felt he had already tried to convey all of this earlier at the beach. 

“Maybe it’s because I don’t flaunt that part of me but I am a business man, therefore being great at reading people is practically part of the job description. I noticed that Joey was keeping something to himself and confronted him about it. After that we became real close, and now we are roommates.”

Duke paused once more when he noticed Tristan’s expression had changed. The pointy-haired brunette had a cross between a curious and a look of concentration about his face, though it was lined sharply. 

“You... and Joey?”

It took a moment before understanding dawned on the raven. 

“NO!!” Duke yelled in exasperation, eyes unduly wide. 

“He should have still come to us,” Tristan grumbled after an awkward silence. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Duke roared, eyes blazing in such a way that it caused everyone to jump. “Why is it so hard for you to understand that Joey was keeping secrets and none but Ryou and I noticed?”

“Because he’s my best friend!!” Tristan bellowed out. “I’ve been friends with him longer than anyone else here! If anyone should have noticed something was wrong it should have been me!”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the pointy-haired brunette. Finally, the tall teen’s previous anger made sense. 

“You were jealous...?” the raven mumbled . It only took a few seconds before his fist clenched as he took a few steps forwards and struck-out, hitting his taller opponent right in the gut. 

Tristan oomphed! and bent down a bit though he recovered quickly enough. The raven’s shot had no real force behind it but shock still wrote itself across everyone’s features. 

“What-”

“You,” Duke interrupted as he clearly enunciated every syllable. “Are. A Complete. Imbecile.”

The jade-eyed teen then stumbled back and sank down onto Ryou’s bed as though he were exhausted. Tea shook her head tiredly. 

“I’m sorry,” Tristan implored. Green orbs lifted to meet his hazel and he smiled slightly when the raven nodded at him. 

“You’re forgiven.”

“We’re all sorry,” Yugi spoke up. 

The short teen’s lavender eyes shone imperceptibly as the attention of the room shifted to him. “Duke, Ryou... we, no... I’m so very sorry. You’re right, Duke. I’ve been a horrible friend to the both of you and didn’t even realize it.”

“Yugi-”

Yugi shook his head solemnly, cutting Ryou off. “I mean it. I’m sorry for the way I’ve made you feel, intentional or not.”

“We all are,” Tea cut in. 

“I agree,” Tristan added, posture stiff. “We messed up, big time.”

Duke sighed heavily and ran a hand through his dark bangs. 

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been so harsh,” the raven acknowledged. The trio opened their mouths to contest but it was Ryou who captured everyone’s attention this time around. 

“Maybe we are all being too hard on one another. As much as I take notice of things I never confront anyone on them. To be honest, none of us really knows too much about each other, and... I think we ought to change that. We’re good friends but we’ve never had the chance to build our friendship the way others do. Not when we’re always so busy rescuing souls, dealing with the power of the millennium items, and all the madmen that want said power.”

The pale teen clutched at his chest tenderly where they all knew the millennium ring rested beneath his shirt. No matter what anyone did, it always found its way back to Ryou. 

Lavender eyes sparkled and Yugi hastily rubbed away the tears that had threatened to form. He shot the pale teen a beaming smile. 

“We’ll do better from now on,” he said. 

Tea cleared her throat. 

“Yeah, I think it’s great we had this talk. We would have just gone the same if we hadn’t otherwise,” the lone female informed to a chorus of nods and smiles. 

Tristan leveled his eyes with Duke. “We’ll all be real friends from now on. No more secrets between us.”

The raven nodded to him in return but furrowed his brows. 

“I know this is the part where I’m supposed to tell all but I won’t. While we may have all agreed to this, Joey hasn’t and I won’t reveal anything he told me until he’s is on this as well.”

Yugi walked up and placed a comforting hand on Duke who sent him a small smile in return. 

“Then let’s go find him,” the short teen said before arching a brow. “He wasn’t in our room though when we checked before coming here.”

“That would be the obvious place to look,” Ryou commented. “If I was Joey and I took off like that, I would go somewhere else.”

“To be honest he’s probably confronting Kaiba right now,” Duke brought up. 

“Joey... and Kaiba,” Tristan said slowly, as though tasting the feel of the two names together. The tall, pointy-haired brunette then shuddered. 

“It just seems so wrong,” Tristan blurted. 

“How about Joey and Seto then?” Tea teased. “Or Seto and Joey.”

Tristan grimaced. “That’s even worse!”

They all laughed. 

“Let’s just go find him,” Tristan grumbled. 

They all laughed again. 

An hour later, grumbling Tristan reared his face once more. 

“Where are they!” the tall teen exclaimed. 

“It does seem like we’ve looked everywhere,” Tea remarked. 

“There is one place we’ve yet to try,” Yugi spoke as he swiveled his eyes up. 

Tristan immediately paled as he realized they were all looking up towards the top floor rooms of the hotel from where they all stood outside. 

“No! No way!” Tristan said fiercely. “No way would Joey be in a suite with him! NO WAY!”

“Actually...” Duke mocked, eyes filled with glee. 

“Oh Ra,” Tristan slapped a hand over his face. “I don’t even want to know.”

“Are you sure?” Duke asked with a wicked grin. “Because-”

“La la la!” Tristan interrupted, plugging his fingers into his eardrums. “I’m not listening!”

Tea shook her head. Yugi and Ryou laughed. 

“You guys,” Tea addressed. “We’re supposed to be looking for Joey and Kaiba.”

“You won’t find Kaiba around here,” a new voice broke in. 

The group of teens al turned, well all except for Tristan who Tea had to smack on the arm for him to pay attention. A young boy licking a popsicle looked back at them with slight disinterest. 

“What do you mean kid?” Tristan asked when Tea filled him in. 

The young boy frowned at the way Tristan addressed him. A grin stretched from ear to ear as an idea came to him. “Buy me another popsicle and I’ll tell you where he went.”

“What?!” Tristan yelled, scaring some of the nearby tourists. “Why you rotten little-”

Duke immediately slapped a hand over the tall teen’s mouth. Both he and Ryou held onto an arm to keep the big guy from advancing. 

“Will you please tell us?” Yugi asked politely as he stepped forward. “We’re trying to find our friend.”

The boy looked him over with a serious expression. 

“You’re a real shrimp aren’t you?” the boy deducted. 

Yugi’s flabbergasted face was as embarrassing as it was adorable. The Pharaoh laughed away from inside the puzzle. 

_‘It’s not funny!’_

_‘But it is love,’ Yami managed between chuckles. ‘It truly is.’_

“Weirdos,” the boy mumbled as he turned to walk away. A warm hand however caught ahold of his. The boy turned around ready to shout but only ended up blushing when Tea hovered down to his eye level. 

“Please can you tell us?” she asked sweetly. 

“He left on his jet! The blue eyes one!” the boy’s eyes widened in clear amazement as he remembered watching the jet roar into the sky. “It was so awesome!”

Tea gave him another cheerful smile. “Thank you so much.”She stood up and relayed the news to the guys. 

“So Kaiba took off somewhere big deal,” Tristan said. 

Duke shook his head with a loud sigh as he wondered how on earth he could have ever liked the tall, pointy-haired brunette. 

“Joey is most likely with him,” Ryou explained. 

“WHAT?!”

Yugi smiled at poor Tristan. 

“I have no doubt,” the short teen said. His eyes suddenly widened and he looked down to hide his troubled expression. “We’ve looked everywhere.”

Duke bit his lip as he looked out towards the horizon. 

_‘Don’t hurt him Kaiba.’_

He looked over at Yugi when he felt the little guy’s stare on him. They shared a look and the green orbs widened. 

“You don’t think...?”

Yugi shrugged uncomfortably. “I can’t be sure but... it feels like this is it.”

Duke squeezed his eyes shut. When he spoke he had everyone’s attention. 

“We need to get off this island, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Kaiba didn't seem too OOC.  
>  As a very realistic and practical person I've often wondered if he'd view a relationship (or a pursuit of a relationship) with Joey in this way.


	5. The Reason is You

Joey’s heart was pumping. Kaiba’s longer legs were an advantage to the brunette. The blonde was fast but he had to put in more effort just to keep up with the tall brunette. 

They were nearing the orphanage. 

The blood froze in his veins. He could feel an icy grip taking ahold of his center and slowly spread through the extremities of his body. Despite himself he slowed slightly. 

Kaiba wasn’t one not to take notice. He also didn’t waste a second to ponder just when he’d become so hyper aware to everything the blonde was doing. 

None too gently did the tall brunette seize the blonde by the arm and retained a firm grip so Joey would be forced to keep the same speed lest he wanted to trip over himself and consequently be dragged. 

The bit of human contact forced the trickling fear away though not even Kaiba could completely eradicate the cold stone settled in his stomach. The orphanage looked even bigger than he remembered, as though it loomed over the blonde. No doubt the renovations were due largely to the generous donations via the Kaiba brothers. 

Joey attempted to swallow the knot in his throat after Kaiba let go of him. 

They were here. 

With no hesitation they pushed through the doors. 

Joey blanked at the normalcy of it all. Here they were, worried out of their minds and the place didn’t appear to be the least bit alert to the possible threat. The blonde felt out of place. He was too wired to be roaming about a calm place like this. Luckily, neither of the teens loitered. Kaiba was still moving and the blonde followed mere footfalls after. Joey was perfectly content to let the tall brunette lead the way. Despite some major differences, there were still flashes of reminders here and there that all too much told the blonde that this placed was indeed, _‘that place.’_

“Jeice!” the tall brunette called out, retaining the shock he felt as he realized he’d forgotten the young teen was here as well. 

Joey came around Kaiba’s shoulder. The blonde hadn’t even realized they’d reached the _‘Quite Room;’_ a place he remembered that was delegated to readings and homework time. It was packed with children, all whom circled around Jeice, Mokuba’s friend, whom had the book he had previously been reading aloud now settled in his lap.

“Seto? Joey? What are you doing here?”

Kaiba didn’t get the chance to answer Jeice. 

“Kaiba-sama!”

“Kaiba!”

“Kaiba’s here!”

All too suddenly the children in the room got up and stormed around the tall brunette.

Joey got over his momentary shock at the bizarre picture that was the tall brunette having children happily go up to him and demand hugs. The blonde strode over to the green-haired teen. 

“Joey, what-”

“Where’s Mokuba?” the blonde bit out harshly, afterwards cursing that his jealousy had come out like this. Damn him for picking up on the way Jeice used Kaiba’s first name as though it were nothing. Joey knew for a fact that very few were allowed the privilege. 

“He’s with Mr. Kiyoshi, what’s going-”

Joey’s heart stopped. 

_‘NO!’_

“Mr. Kaiba!” a raven-haired woman exclaimed as she entered the room. She was surprised to find just what the commotion was about. “We didn’t expect you.”

Blue eyes flashed over to the caretaker. 

“Where is Kiyoshi, Mrs. Soto?”

His icy tone forced the children nearest to him to settle down. They looked at him curiously. 

“Kiyoshi?” Mrs. Soto’s brows furrowed. “Last I saw he was with Mokuba.”

“Where?”

“In the- the flower garden,” she stammered, unused to hearing such a harsh tone from the tall teen. “Outback.”

Kaiba nodded, shared a look with Joey, and they took off. They were so focused on where they were going they didn’t realize they had a third companion until the young teen spoke. 

“What’s going on?!”

Joey’s shoulders tensed as he spared a look back and saw that Jeice was with them. The bright golden eyes flipped back and forth between the two elder teens. 

“Mokuba’s in trouble.”

Jeice’s eyes widened as he shot more questions but Joey was once more focused ahead. None of them had stopped running. 

The tall brunette burst through a pair of double doors. 

The world outside felt as though it were stuck in a muted silence as they ran and searched. 

Joey looked to Seto. The wind ripped through them, blowing back the hair out of their eyes. He could look into the tall teen’s eyes clearly. The hard, angry blue laced with worry. 

They couldn’t find Mokuba... anywhere. 

*******************************************************************************

 

 

The three teens were silent. The Kaiba Mansion had never felt so empty. They were all in Kaiba’s home office at the moment. 

The tall brunette had been at it for hours. His eyes never left any one of the various monitors as his fingers did a fierce dance over the keyboards. The more time that passed between phone calls the worse he got. Much earlier the blue-eyed teen had barked orders into the phone and further said not to be disturbed unless they’d found Mokuba. He had his entire security force on foot patrol. Joey couldn’t stop him, not that he would have wanted to. 

The amber eyes were hollow, but inside... inside a flame was burning. 

Ring!

The two younger teens jumped at the sound. Kaiba merely picked up the phone. 

“What?” he spat gruffly. 

“Really, Kaiba, you’d think you’d be happy to hear from me.”

“Kiyoshi. Where is Mokuba?”

Joey shot to his feet at the name. Jeice picked up his head, looking on in confusion but listening intently nevertheless. 

Kiyoshi’s laugh filtered through the phone. 

“Relax Kaiba. Mokuba is perfectly safe,” Kiyoshi paused. “Whether he stays safe is up to you.”

“You’ll hand him back immediately if you know what’s good for you, you snake.”

Kiyoshi laughed once more. “I’m a smart man Kaiba. I know what I’m doing.”

Kaiba’s teeth ground together. “What do you want?”

“You.”

The temperature in the room dropped. 

“Care to repeat that?” the tall brunette asked, tone encased in ice. 

“One hour. That’s not really asking for much is it? Think of it this way,” Kiyoshi paused dramatically. “Either you come willingly, or I take Mokuba forcibly.”

“You. Fucking. Piece of-”

“Meet me at the abandoned school building Tomiya at midnight tonight and Mokuba will be returned safely to you. Don’t bother tracing this call as well. I’ll be long gone. Oh, and do be sure not to involve the police or any of your special security detail. Believe me, I’ll know if you do.”

The man promptly hung up. 

Almost simultaneously the teens all turned towards the clock. 

11 pm. 

Kaiba stood up. 

“Kaiba,” Joey called. 

The brunette crossed the room where his coat was. 

“Kaiba,” the blonde called louder.

The tall teen shrugged his coat on and walked out of the office, or at least attempted to. 

“Seto!”

Sharp, blue eyes narrowed into slits as he turned back to face the blonde who’d caught ahold of him. 

“I’m going with you,” Joey told him firmly. 

The CEO scoffed. “No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m going alone.”

“Kiyoshi said not to bring any police or security. That doesn’t include me,” Joey glared at him. “I’m going and you can’t stop me.”

They faced each other down. 

“Fine,” the brunette agreed knowing he would not be able to talk the blonde out of it.

“I’m going too,” Jeice claimed as he came up behind Joey. 

“No,” the two older teens said at once. 

“Mokuba’s my best friend and I know the place the man spoke about. I’ll just go there on my own if I have to.”

“Fine!” Kaiba snapped as he headed back to his desk.

The two younger teens watched him warily. Joey was feeling heat rush through his veins. It was time for Kiyoshi to pay for everything he’s done, and for everything he could ever possibly do. 

The blonde grit his teeth. 

There was no way in hell Kiyoshi was getting his hands on Seto or Mokuba. Not if he had anything to say about it. 

****************************************************************************

The brunette narrowed his eyes at the door. It practically gave way under his hand. It needed more of a slight push than a turn of the handle. He snorted derisively as he stepped inside and glanced at the dilapidated surroundings. What a filthy place he thought absentmindedly as he hurried up the stairs and down a certain corridor. Kiyoshi had left him instructions when he’d called a second time earlier. He counted four doors on the left and without any hesitation entered the fifth. 

Anger rolled through him. 

It was empty. 

***************************************************************************

Joey was wound up tight. 

One more minute. They’d give the tall brunette one more minute before they went in. 

It was the deal he’d struck with the taller teen. Seto would be given a certain amount of time to go inside and distract Kiyoshi while they stormed the place in a desperate search for Mokuba. The blonde had a gut feeling Kiyoshi was keeping the young teen somewhere close-by. The man had to have some sort of way to dangle Mokuba before Seto after all, otherwise he’d have no hold over him. 

There. Time was up. 

The blonde motioned to Jeice and the two sprung up from their hiding place. The amber-eyed teen made sure to keep the younger guy silent and behind him at all times. Joey had experience sneaking around, and so, was genuinely surprised to find the young teen was light on his feet as well. Perhaps a little too light. Blonde brows scrunched together as he decided to address it later. He had to focus on finding Mokuba. The sooner he did, the sooner they could get to Kaiba. Then they could all get out of here; far, far away from Kiyoshi. 

The two teens looked over the several corridors once inside. Joey made a motion that they should keep to this ground floor first. 

Jeice nodded. 

Joey didn’t feel right about this part, but they had agreed earlier that if no trouble came their way at this point it would be best to split up. Time was of the essence. 

Seto had brought up blueprints of the old building earlier and he had them look it over. Joey couldn’t say he remembered every detail but he did know the end room of the corridor he was first going to search led to a basement. It seemed like a good place to start. 

He waited until the younger teen disappeared down a separate corridor before taking off down his own. He could only muffle his running here. There was no time to waste. 

His heart beat the same rapid beat of his feet moving across the floor. 

There!

He slowed enough to open the door. The stairs led down to darkness. 

“Mokuba?” the blonde called. 

There was no answer. 

The blonde trembled slightly (from what exactly he wasn’t too sure) as he took the stairs one step at a time. He used the cell Seto let him borrow to shed some light but it did a poor job of that indeed. The small bit of illumination only seemed to greatly draw attention to the overwhelming darkness the light didn’t touch. 

“Mokuba?” he called out again. 

His feet touched the bottom. Joey tilted the phone about, trying to get a general look-see of the place. His heart leapt into his throat. 

This was... wrong. 

He walked over to a nearby table. What was all this?

A mess of shuffled papers, an array of gadgetry and tools. Lots of tools. He walked over to the next table. It was the same mess of assortments. 

The blonde picked up something that looked like a leather vest. What in the world?

He set it down as a certain paper caught his eye. Raising a brow he brought it up to the light of the phone. 

His blood ran cold. 

He knew just what that leather vest was for now. And he could guess at why this room looked so out of place. 

Out. He had to get out. 

The blonde threw the paper down and bolted up the stairs, not bothering to check the rest of the room. His heart almost sang as he neared the top of the stairs. Unfortunately, he hardly made it more than a few steps out of the room. 

The hand swung out too fast to stop himself from falling into its hold. It slammed hard across his chest as he passed through the doorway; knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for breath, the hand came up to wrap around his throat. Hot breath tickled his ear. 

“Hello there...”

The man covered his nose and mouth with a white cloth. Joey’s eyes widened as the chloroform did its work. 

Kiyoshi turned him around so that the honey eyes clashed with dark pools. “... my little angel.”

Black. Everything went black. 

******************************************************************************

Why did his head hurt?

Before even opening his eyes, his first sense was that of his head pounding. 

His bleary eyes cracked open. His body felt heavy. Every movement took effort, but the more he wriggled about the faster the fog stunting him lifted. He was so focused on himself that once he worked through his struggle and gave attention to his surroundings did he find himself in an all new kind of struggle. 

His arms!

They were locked behind him. He couldn’t move them! The leather vest he wore strapped them to his back as though he were wearing handcuffs. 

Oh Ra.

He was on a bed. All he wore was the strange vest and his jeans. 

Fuck!

“My little angel, how lovely you are.”

Joey’s eyes filled with panic and his body froze. He couldn’t force himself to move to face the speaker. Not that he had to. Kiyoshi came to him. The man’s footsteps echoed in the quiet room. The blonde felt the bed sink as the man sat down on the edge. 

“Angel.”

The blonde’s heart constricted. 

“My little angel,” the man cooed. 

Fuck, fuck. Oh fuck...

Joey let out a cry when the man reached out and grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to turn and look him in the eyes. 

“There now,” the man smiled. “Isn’t that better?”

Sweat gathered at the blonde’s temple. Fear was filling him. 

The man was much too close. The evil, wicked man. How could one who looked so pleasant be such a monster?It hardly made any sense. 

“You look so good Joey,” Kiyoshi whispered. “You’ve filled out amazingly.”

Kiyoshi used his free hand to run it up the blonde’s side. Joey couldn’t keep from shivering at the slimy touch. 

“Excited, aren’t you?” the man murmured in his ear. 

The blonde shivered once more. An internal dilemma raged within. He wanted to fight back, to not be helpless in this man’s presence but he simply could not do a thing. His own fear overpowered his actions. His body wouldn’t respond to his thoughts, and the fact that he couldn’t fight back made the fear worse. He was digging himself in and he knew it but, _he couldn’t do a thing to stop it._

Kiyoshi drew back and smiled at him. It was a handsome smile but Joey could see the slight tilt on one end. The tilt he knew that stretched back to reveal the man’s true, twisted smile. A smile that spelled pain for whomever it was showered on. The dark, limpid eyes glittered as the man raised a hand and fingered the tan jaw delicately. 

SMACK!

The blonde’s face reared sideways. Kiyoshi had begun his game. 

Those warm fingers traced the red imprint left behind. That was wrong, the man’s touch should not be warm. The smack had been stinging and forceful. Ordinarily, Joey would say he had been use to much worse, but his sense of self at the moment only allowed him to gape. 

“You have no idea how angry I was when you were gone. How my precious angel just up and left. I didn’t even know your last name. The director only ever referred to you as Joey. I couldn’t search for you.”

The man’s smile stretched. “But oh! Imagine my surprise when you suddenly appeared before a big screen, a Battle City finalist! You had grown and you were hiding your lovely eyes,” Kiyoshi leaned in. “But I knew it was you.”

_‘Get away. Please, get away from me...’_

“I tried to find you then, I swear I did but I came to a dead end,” Kiyoshi’s eyes were pleading. Something nasty rolled in Joey’s throat at the sight. He could tell the man truly wanted him to believe him. 

“But no matter, I’ve got you now.” He gripped Joey’s chin and forced it forward, placing a feather-light kiss on the teen’s forehead. “I won’t lose you a second time.”

_‘Help.’_

“I promise.”

_‘Someone help me...’_

“Won’t you show me your eyes Joey?” Kiyoshi implored, keeping a firm grip on the blonde’s chin. 

Joey couldn’t turn away from the intense stare. 

“I know you’re only hiding them because you only want me to see them,” the man continued avidly. “I know this my little angel, but you don’t have to hide them anymore.”

The charming smile shone. Such an approachable smile. That’s what made it all the more horrifying. Why did the damn monster have to smile so damn much?

“It was those wondrous eyes of yours that drew me to you. As it was your angelic singing that secured your place in my heart.”

Joey closed his eyes. The tears stung behind his eyelids. 

He knew this, he already knew all of this!

The dark eyes became alert as the man suddenly let him go and stood up to his full height. He wasn’t as tall as Kaiba, no, but like the brunette he had a slim and surprisingly muscular build. And like the brunette, Joey wasn’t entirely sure he could take him even if he had his wits about him. Kiyoshi’s person gave off the feel of someone who could handle himself. Not to mention, when the blonde had tried to fight him off when he was younger, Kiyoshi had blocked all of his attacks and placed him in a painful hold. The man had had some type of training, he just didn’t know what or why. He didn’t think he wanted to know. 

“I had almost forgotten,” the man whispered, more to himself than to the blonde. “You’re not here alone. The others might come looking for you.”

The dark eyes turned to him. Kiyoshi’s expression was questioning. 

_‘I need to get out.’_

“I don’t really care for Kaiba, not the way I care for you. But when I saw Mokuba alone I took him. I knew his big brother would follow. It seemed like no matter what, I’d get to play with a Kaiba. It was thrilling,” the man chuckled darkly. “But, I  never expected you to follow.”

The man tilted his head curiously at him. “I watched you on my cameras, and when you went into my basement,” Kiyoshi made a motion with his hand. “I followed and waited for you to come back up.”

The dark eyes softened, they _actually_ softened. Kiyoshi was clearly enamored. The man gazed at Joey as one would fondly gaze at a significant other. It terrified Joey more than anything else ever had, but even in all his fear, something else managed to strike through. 

“Mokuba,” the blonde called feebly, utterly surprised he’d been able to say anything at all. 

Kiyoshi’s expression faltered for a moment before a grimace covered it. “I forgot about him,” he revealed flatly. “I was only focused on getting to you. I-”

The man’s eyes narrowed to slits as he cut himself off and threw himself over to Joey, hoisting the teen up by taking a firm hold of the leather vest restraint. 

“What’s he to you?! Why do you care! It’s him you want isn’t it?!”

“N-no.”

The snarling man didn’t hear him. “I’ll kill him.”

Amber eyes widened in terror as bile rose in his throat. A new fear was filling the blonde. 

“I’ll bring him here! I’ll take him right in front of you! I’ll show you he doesn’t matter!”

“No!”

Words were finding him again. Joey didn’t realize he’d shouted, as he didn’t realize he was gaining movement. 

Animalistic features possessed Kiyoshi. “You belong to me! I’ll destroy him!”

“NO!!!”

The blonde shot up and head-butted the bigger man. The hard CRACK of skull against skull rang across the room, eliciting cries from both males. 

Joey had built up a tolerance for pain and so fought his way through it. He angled a kick and launched his foot towards Kiyoshi’s head, missing the temple but catching the man roughly against his ear. The man screeched and toppled sideways leaving the teen to desperately scramble off the bed and head for the door. 

Kiyoshi was not so easy to escape from, however. With a roar he tackled Joey down and kept his weight on top of him. “You’re mine! MINE!!”

“Aaaaggghhh!” Joey screamed as Kiyoshi pushed his arm further up behind him. It felt like it was about to snap out of place!

The two struggled, each desperate to win his own. 

“I won’t let you go! I won’t-”

Another CRACK rang out and Kiyoshi fell.

The blonde flailed as he felt the wicked man land beside him. Shock gripped him for a few tense seconds before the blonde yelled and kicked out once more. Hands were grabbing at him. 

“Joey! Joey!!”

That voice. The blonde stopped as he craned his neck back, body coiled and feet ready to keep kicking if he needed to. 

The young teen had his open palms splayed to him, eyes filled with concern. “Joey, are you... okay?”

“Jeice,” the blonde said breathlessly, too stunned to say much of anything else.

“I’m going to help you okay,” Jeice stated more than asked as he proceeded to bend over the blonde and fiddle with the leather vest contraption without waiting for a response. 

Joey yelped when the teen gave him a hard tug. 

“Sorry! I can’t get this last part to open,” Jeice explained in frustration. 

“Lets just go,” Joey said quickly. His fear wasn’t all gone. 

“Hang on,” Jeice reached into his pocket and flipped out a switchblade. The blonde didn’t hide his wince. It reminded the elder teen then that there was more going on to Jeice. “It’s not too much. I can cut it open.”

The younger teen didn’t wait for permission. He sawed and hacked quickly until finally the vest came apart. Jeice helped the blonde out of the contraption and Joey relished the feel of having his arms unrestrained once more. 

“Thanks.”

Jeice nodded but still looked troubled. “Joey, I-”

The teens froze when they heard the groan. Kiyoshi was stirring. 

“Come on,” Joey whispered almost hysterically. His heart began to sprint in its beat as the man’s head swung up, dark eyes gazing at them groggily. “Come on!”

The blonde ushered Jeice towards the door. He vaguely heard the man cry out behind them. It only spurned him on to go faster. The two teens left the room and raced down the hallway. Joey let Jeice take the lead. He had absolutely no idea where they were. 

Cold numbness filled Joey’s head and shoulders as they rounded a corner only to hear the sound of someone screaming and taking pains to run after them. It was clear Kiyoshi was up and was going to give them chase even though the teens had a chunk of distance in their favor. 

He had to hand it to the green-haired teen however, the boy was smart. Jeice led them around another sharp corner, opened the first door they came across, and locked it behind them. They both pressed themselves firmly against the door, quelling their pants as they listened intently for any sounds of Kiyoshi. 

A sharp intake of breath escaped Joey when they heard the man thunder nearby, though he appeared to veer off down a different corridor. The blonde started when something took ahold of his hand. 

“Joey?” Jeice questioned, giving the blonde’s hand a squeeze. The elder teen could guess at what the younger wanted to know, but...

“Later,” he whispered back, giving a squeeze of his own before reluctantly letting go. It had been a much appreciated and touching show of concern on Jeice’s part, especially considering they barely knew each other. It gave Joey the bizarre awareness that the younger teen was acting as he would have if he were in his shoes, instead of being the prey in Kiyoshi’s hunt. 

Joey pressed his ear to the door. He motioned they should go. 

Jeice opened the door, trying not to make too much noise. With a nod they sprinted out, the younger taking the lead. They only went down two more corridors before the golden-eyed teen pointed to an on-coming door. The blonde took over and threw it open, stepping through too fast to stop himself from crashing into another. Arms encircled him before he had a chance to fight his opponent. Strong arms.

“Joey!” 

“Mokuba?”

“Mokuba!”

“Jeice!”

The blonde looked up and stopped struggling. Warmth and relief flooded him despite how those hard blue eyes seared right through him. 

Kaiba only gave him a second’s perusal before flicking his eyes to the younger teens whom were rejoicing and embracing one another. This wasn’t the time nor the place for this. “Move it. Now.”

The others snapped out of their moments at the authoritative tone. 

It was only cautious dread that filled Joey this time around. He couldn’t be so afraid of Kiyoshi anymore, not when the thought of the man now overpowered him with anger. What better way to be rid of fear than to be filled with another emotion instead?

Still, they were not out of the clear, not yet. Without another word they all fell into step. 

Jeice took the lead, Joey ran alongside Mokuba, and Kaiba brought up the rear. In under a  minute they were back at the entrance hall. The door to the outside was within their sights. 

Joey’s heart fluttered ecstatically. It was right there. They were almost halfway across the room. 

BANG!

They all froze. Kiyoshi was standing at the top of the stairs. 

Fear and anger shattered Joey. It was hard not being even a little scared when the man was leveling a smoking gun at them, face twisted up in its derangement. 

More specifically, the gun was aimed at him. “Come back my little angel.”

Kiyoshi took a step down. “Come back to me my Joey.”

The voice was neither pleading or demanding. It was spine-tingling flat, lined with a note of hysteria. Kiyoshi wasn’t all there.

Joey hardly noticed the questioning and confused looks shot to him by the Kaiba brothers. He was too focused on Kiyoshi’s movements. That’s when he made his big mistake. The blonde involuntarily took a step back. 

Rage twisted the man’s expression. “They can’t take you! You’re mine!”

It all happened so fast, a cliche yes, but a true one.

Kiyoshi hadn’t been aiming at him after all. He’d been aiming at Mokuba.

Kaiba, of course, had known this as he yanked his brother behind him. The tall brunette had always been intelligent, no matter the situation. 

Joey, on the other hand, had always gambled on his instincts. Which was why he’d stepped in front of them as Kaiba had been pulling Mokuba back. He’d made sure to place himself just beyond Kaiba’s reach. 

Kiyoshi had a chance not to fire. But Joey’s re-location before the brothers only seemed to fuel his rage further. 

The shot fired and the blonde staggered back under the heavy weight. He had the strangest moment of dis-attachment as he watched blood flow. 

Mokuba screamed. 

**********************************************************************************

Duke’s leg was bouncing. He couldn’t stop from tapping his foot. 

They were almost there. 

He and the rest of gang all looked harried; and felt even worse. All because of the devastating phone call they’d received. Since then life had literally sucker-punched them all and they’d only just managed to scramble themselves together into a manic rush to get back to Domino. 

The plane ride back had been positively awful. The wait seemed endless and the raven brushed off their promises to pay him back when he’d dipped into his funds to change the departure for their plane tickets. He was a fucking business man for the hundredth time already! He had money, it was hardly an issue even if he didn’t have Kaiba’s wealth. 

His only issue, at the moment, was figuring out how to make cars fly since the taxi they were in wasn’t going anywhere near fast enough!

For the last 3 hours the group of friends had had to endure hearing snippets of the “Crisis” and the “Devastating Scandal” which the news had latched onto as it involved the Kaiba brothers, although details were incredibly vague. They’d agreed to stay away from all media until they could receive facts. They were also petrified of what might be waiting for them at the hospital. 

The raven was the first one to jump out of the taxi upon arrival, practically throwing money at the cab driver’s face in his haste. The others soon caught up and Tristan eventually led them all. The group was astounded when they were accosted by the paparazzi outside of the hospital. 

Duke and Tristan became visibly pissed, Tea looked ready to shout her head off, and Ryou was undeniably uncomfortable. The only one who looked merely stressed was Yugi, who was having a discussion with the Pharaoh. Seconds later, Yami appeared and the glare he cast combined with his imposing presence parted a way to the hospital entrance. Once inside they would not be bothered and none of them hesitated running towards it. 

They scared the crap out of the people nearby as they burst through the double doors that marked the hospital’s entrance. They only slowed enough to give Yugi’s name (per Mokuba’s earlier instruction), all becoming stricken when they were directed to the waiting room in the emergency area. They didn’t reach it. 

“Kaiba!”

The tall brunette might have gotten away with looking cold and unapproachable any other time but they knew him enough to see the truth. The ice that normally hardened his glares was not there. As it was, Kaiba didn’t say anything. He merely watched them draw close. 

“Kaiba,” Yami addressed. “Is...?”

The Pharaoh left it at that. He knew his duelist rival would understand. 

The tall brunette looked from one anxious and distraught face to another. “Follow me but stay quiet. Mokuba’s sleeping.”

With that the teen CEO strode off. They had no other choice but to follow, wrought with nerves as they were.

Duke made a choking sound when he stepped into the waiting room. “Joey!?”

The blonde looked up at them all in surprise. “Duke? Guys?”

The gang immediately went up to him, clearly in shock. None of them expected to find Joey _simply there_. They halted a few feet away when Mokuba turned hollow eyes on them. He was nestled in Joey’s arms. 

Tristan stepped forward as soon as the initial shock passed him over. “You’re- you’re okay?”

“Yeah.”

Tea stepped forward. 

“Joey, we thought that you were...not okay.”

The lone female’s lip quivered and she hastily turned away to hide the stray tears that rode down her cheeks. 

“Tea?”

Ryou wrapped an arm around her as she turned around and she smiled gratefully at him. 

“Joey,” Duke stepped up to him, honey and jade green eyes locking. “We thought you were shot.”

The blonde’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t- it wasn’t me-”

They all jumped as Mokuba suddenly let out a grief-stricken wail. The young teen ran out of Joey’s arms and left the room. Kaiba muttered a curse under his breath and went after his brother, shooting the gang a piercing glare on his way out. Joey didn’t move. The blonde knew Seto would catch up to Mokuba within moments. 

He looked at his friends, they certainly were far from happy as they usually were. It was strange to see them as such. The Pharaoh’s eyes caught his. The ancient spirit appeared composed but worry hung in the ruby eyes. 

_‘Answers,’_ Joey thought. _‘Right.’_

“It wasn’t me.”

Duke zeroed in on him. Joey leveled his gaze to him. 

“It wasn’t me who got shot,” the blonde explained. 

“Then who?” Tea asked. 

The blonde’s hands gripped the stretch of his jeans tightly. A nurse had been kind enough to lend him a hospital dress to cover his upper body. 

“It was Jeice,” Mokuba’s soft voice pierced through them as they turned to see Kaiba leading a puffy-eyed Mokuba back in. “My friend, Jeice.”

Mokuba said nothing else. Joey looked at the young teen for a few hard seconds before opening up his arms once more. The young raven didn’t hesitate in crossing the room and climbing back into Joey’s lap, uncaring what anyone else in the room might think or say about it. The blonde wound his arms around the younger Kaiba as he leaned against the elder one whom sat down on his right, Seto’s body pressed right up against the side of his. Their positioning didn’t escape anyone’s notice though none had anything to say about it. Duke and Ryou, however, both smiled lightly at the sight. 

“Do you mind, Joey, telling us what happened?”

Yami’s soft tenor had a way of calming everyone. Hell, the Pharaoh’s mere presence alone made the blonde feel a tad bit better. It wasn’t much, but it was something. The powerful spirit just had that way about him, though it was the feel of Seto beside him that truly anchored him. 

Still, he met Yami’s eyes head on before shaking his head and looking away with a sorrowful sigh. 

“There is **so much** I need to tell you guys,” the blonde spoke out apologetically. “It’s because I kept so much hidden that all of this happened in the first place.”

They all looked taken-aback by that comment, except for Duke who had a better inclination than the rest as to what Joey meant by his statement. 

The Pharaoh shared a solemn smile with the blonde as he flashed himself away and Yugi was once again before them all. Careful of Mokuba, the small teen flung his arms around Joey who returned the embrace with one arm. 

“Joey, you can’t blame yourself for this.”

The blonde shook his head as Yugi pulled back. “This **is** my fault Yug.”

Kaiba scoffed pointedly. “The shrimp has a point for once.”

Joey smiled slightly at the tall brunette’s statement and allowed himself to lean into his shoulder just a bit. 

“Joey,” Ryou looked at him with worrisome yet inquisitive eyes. “Why do you believe it’s your fault?”

“Because, it’s true.”

Mokuba’s grip tightened on him and the amber-eyed teen sighed. He knew his friends were waiting for him to elaborate. But where could he possibly begin? There was much, **so much** they didn’t know. 

Joey swallowed the knot in his throat as he focused on the feel of Seto’s body beside his. There were things Seto still didn’t know, was now the time for all of that to be put out into the open? They were all gathered here together, could he really do this now? Lay himself out in the open completely?

The blonde was saved from his ruminations when the door to the waiting room was flung open, startling most. 

“Serenity?” Joey’s eyes widened at the sight of his little sister. 

“Joey! Mokuba!”

The auburn-haired female threw herself across the room and into both Joey and Mokuba’s outstretched arms. 

“Serenity,” Joey addressed once his sibling disentangled herself up to look at him (he now had two young teens spread across his lap) with tears running freely down her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“I called her earlier,” Mokuba explained. “For Jeice.”

“He has to be okay big brother.”

The blonde turned back to his sibling. He ran a hand through her hair and pecked her forehead with a kiss. He then shook his head. “It’s all my fault Serenity.”

Her eyes widened at that. “No, Joey, it’s not.”

“It is,” he said firmly. 

She grit her teeth and balled up her fists. “But Joey-”

“Serenity, it’s my-”

**_Smack!_ **

Several gasps were heard. 

It took a few long seconds for the blonde to register he had been smacked, by his younger sister of all people. It hardly stung, obviously meant as more of a statement than an intention to hurt, but the shock was all there. All Joey could focus on was the anger that burned in his sister’s gleaming eyes. 

“Don’t you dare take credit or feel guilty for what that- that,” Serenity’s tears slowed in her anger. “That monster did to my boyfriend!”

Silence. But, after a tense minute-

“Boyfriend?”

Normally, in this situation, Serenity might have reddened and stammered but her emotions were skewed enough as they were. Instead, she pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. “Jeice and I are going out.”

Joey blinked. “Since when?”

“Almost a week now but... we’ve liked each other for awhile.”

“Why?”

“He was my first kiss.”

Joey nodded and ended it there despite that he wanted to bring up more questions. He couldn’t muster up any bit of anger on his part over not knowing his little sister was seeing someone. Not when that same someone was currently fighting for his life. 

Guilt coursed through him again. Why had Jeice done what he’d done?

Joey hadn’t noticed the young teen had stepped before him, not until Jeice had fallen back onto him, his blood trickling onto Joey’s chest. 

But why? Why?

Seto had done it to protect Mokuba (whom had been the target), Joey had done it to protect them (being the true prey), and yet Jeice ended up protecting them all (merely an accomplice in the escape). 

It had come as shock to everyone, even Kiyoshi. The man hadn’t been appalled or remorseful, no, but he’d lowered his gun a bit as his maniacal glare became glossy. 

Not one to waste time, Seto took the opportunity to take out his own gun and shot Kiyoshi. The tall brunette would have preferred not to have had to use it but Kiyoshi had clearly been more unhinged than he’d anticipated. 

Mokuba had still been screaming and clutching at Jeice in Joey’s arms. The blonde remembered thinking he was happy Mokuba hadn’t seen what Seto had done. _He_ was still trying to process what Seto had done. It seemed unreal that Kiyoshi’s body lay unmoving, facedown and head-first across the stairs...

“Joey.”

The blonde looked at his sister. She was resting her head on his chest, hand linked with Mokuba’s across his stomach. The young raven teen too was resting against him as he had his arms wrapped around them both. “Yeah?”

“Can you sing for me?”

The blonde stiffened. He could practically feel his friends raise their eyebrows (all except for Duke). Was he ready for this? This was one of the many things they didn’t know. 

And then there was Kaiba. If he sang, Kaiba would recognize him as **Katsuya**.

He felt Mokuba shift his head up. “You can sing Joey?”  
The storm-grey eyes tugged at Joey. 

“Yes,” he whispered feeling Seto shift at his side. Mokuba blinked at him. 

“Sing Joey,” the young raven went back to resting his head against him. “Please.”

The blonde nodded to no one in particular, he already had the song picked out. 

He glanced at his friends all whom couldn’t seem to find anything to say. Duke nodded at him ever so slightly, though he was chewing on his bottom lip. 

The blonde fought down his nerves. Seto would be the one most affected. Seto didn’t know he had been **Katsuya**.

“I’ll sing a song for Jeice. A lot of people think it’s just about death but I think it can be for more too, especially since Jeice is... where he is. He’s unconscious and we can’t talk to him at the moment thought we want to and-”

Joey cut himself off. He was beginning to ramble. 

“It’s called, **So Far Away**.”

The blonde took a breath. He wanted so badly to reach out and hold Seto’s hand, to gauge his reaction in any way as he sang since he didn’t think he’d be able to look at him at all. If he did though he’d have to let go of Mokuba and he wasn’t going to do that. 

_Never feared for anything_

_Never shamed but never free_

_A laugh that healed the broken heart_

_With all that it could_

 

_Lived the life so endlessly_

_Saw beyond what others see_

_I tried to heal your broken heart_

_With all that I could_

_Will you stay?_

_Will you stay away forever?_

 

Joey had no idea how they were reacting. His concentration was focused and his eyes were closed as he sang, chin lightly resting on top of Serenity’s hair. 

 

_How do I live without the ones I love?_

_Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned_

_Place and time always on my mind_

_I have so much to say but you're so far away_

 

_Plans of what our futures hold_

_Foolish lies of growing old_

_It seems we're so invincible_

_The truth is so cold_

 

_A final song, a last request_

_A perfect chapter laid to rest_

_Now and then I try to find_

_A place in my mind_

_Where you can stay_

_You can stay away forever_

 

His friends were enraptured with his voice. They would have never been able to guess that Joey could sing considering what his speaking voice sounded like. 

Duke was focused on one Seto Kaiba whom had gone rigid and had tipped his head down, shielding his expression as Joey sang. The raven was nervous on the blonde’s behalf. Seto’s tension was rolling off of him in waves. 

 

_How do I live without the ones I love?_

_Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned_

_Place and time always on my mind_

_I have so much to say but you're so far away_

 

_Sleep tight I'm not afraid (not afraid)_

_The ones that we love are here with me_

_Lay away a place for me (place for me)_

_'Cause as soon as I'm done I'll be on my way_

_To live eternally_

 

_How do I live without the ones I love?_

_Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned_

_Place and time always on my mind_

_And the light you left remains but it's so hard to stay_

_When I have so much to say and you're so far away_

 

No one noticed as the door opened and a figure froze. After a moment they closed the door behind them quietly as they too listened to the hypnotic song. 

 

_I love you, you were ready_

_The pain is strong and urges rise_

_But I'll see you, when He lets me_

_Your pain is gone, your hands untied_

 

_So far away (so close)_

_And I need you to know_

_So far away (so close)_

_And I need you to, need you to know_

 

So much emotion resonated in Joey’s heart-quivering words as he sang the last part. He allowed himself to breathe for a few long seconds as he tilted his head up, all the way back. The blonde carefully unwound his arms from around Serenity and Mokuba and reached into his pocket. 

Eyes widened as they watched him flip open a case for contacts. An empty case. 

Still staring straight up, Joey sat the case on his lap and carefully reached up. He took out one contact and then the other. Slowly, he tipped his head back down. 

Joey’s true eyes, his **red** eyes were visible for all to see. 

Duke, Serenity, and Seto were the only ones who didn’t cry out. 

The blonde hardly heard his friend’s gasps. The only one he could focus on was Seto, whom was gazing at him, blue and red clashing heatedly. 

Finally, the tall brunette stood up, hands clenched at his sides, and walked away giving no notice to the woman who looked at him as he passed by. 

“Seto!” Mokuba cried, expression confused and hurt. 

Joey got up and took after him ignoring the cries and questions of everyone else. The occupants in the room all looked at each other in confusion at the two teens departure. 

“Will someone explain just what is going on!”

“I think we are missing too many pieces for that Tristan,” Yugi said softly. 

“Those eyes...” Tea whispered. 

“Joey’s eyes,” Mokuba concluded. 

Ryou and Duke shared a look, both frowning when they looked away. 

“Mokuba?”

“Mrs. Briefs,” the young teen faltered as the woman crossed the room, baffling the others with her presence.  Her golden eyes held the young raven in their stare. “My son, how is my son?”

Mokuba shook his head, eyes becoming watery-eyed. “Jeice is still in surgery.”

The woman’s being crumpled but otherwise she showed no sign of just how deeply Mokuba’s words cut her. Reaching out she grasped the young raven’s hand in her own and said, “My Jeice is a fighter, Mokuba. He will pull through.”

******************************************************************************

 

“Seto! Seto!”

The tall brunette refused to stop, he thundered away, the mere expression on his face scaring everyone out of his way. He bursts through the doors to the outside, thankful that his body guards had cleared paparazzi away as he headed to the car he’d asked them to bring for him. The young CEO made a move to pop the car door open. His eyes turned to ice as he looked down into piercing red orbs veiled by blonde locks. Joey caught his arm. 

“Let go. Now.”

“No!”

The blonde licked his lips. “I... I can explain Se-”

“Save it!”

“But you don’t understand!”  
“And I don’t care to!”

The tall brunette bore down on him. “Get your paws off of me you filthy mongrel!”

Joey’s heart constricted at the statement and before he knew it Seto had shoved him off. The tall brunette told himself he didn’t care about the shout the younger teen let out upon falling, that he didn’t care about the hurt that softened the red eyes or the devastation that took over his face. Seto climbed into the car quickly. 

Without a second look he sped off knowing he could see Joey in his rear-view mirror but not daring to look. He told himself he didn’t care, but he did. 

A lot. 

*********************************************************************************

“They’re ready Joey.”

The blonde smiled. “I have no idea what it is with you and baking cookies Sis.”

Serenity only smiled cheekily in return. 

“We’re celebrating Jeice’s release from the hospital,” Mokuba commented as he helped Serenity move the baked goods off of the sheet and onto the large plate to cool. “We need cookies.”

“A worthy celebration,” Mrs. Briefs hummed as she sipped on a cup of coffee. 

“I’m surprised you’re complaining about cookies Joey,” Duke wiggled his eyebrows at his friend. 

“I’m not!” Joey declared. “I’m happy for cookies! And for Jeice being okay!”

“I’m right here you know,” Jeice drawled causing everyone to laugh. 

“That you are sweet-heart,” Mrs. Briefs agreed as she stood up and placed a swift kiss to her son’s temple, much to his embarrassment. 

“Mom!”

Joey crossed his arms and leaned against Duke who leaned back as they swapped grins. 

It was the day after Jeice’s release from the hospital. The entire gang of people had ended up spending the entire night and had received the good news in the later AM that Jeice’s condition had stabilized and that the young teen was going to be fine. A good chunk of that day was spent waiting for Jeice to be released. They all agreed to postpone celebrating his release until the following day since the teen was much too tired to do so as he promptly feel asleep and the doctor advised to let him rest. In fact, Joey had carried the young teen home since Mrs. Briefs would have struggled with him all alone (Mokuba and Serenity tagging along of course). 

The four of them got to know each other a little better and it was Mokuba who suggested they get together a little bit before the party so they could spend even more time getting to know each other. Considering how closely connected they all were now (be it through their friendships, family relations or romantic relationship) they were bound to spend time together regardless and should get to know each other. Duke was to be included since he lived with Joey and both Serenity and Mokuba have spent time at their place. 

But, it was during the night when Joey had stumbled back in (sans Seto Kaiba) that he let everything out. From start to finish he went over all he hadn’t told them and all he hadn’t explained well enough. Well, almost everything. He didn’t say too much about what was going on with him and Kaiba and they, mercifully, didn’t push him for answers about that then and there. They all figured he didn’t want to mention too much about the teen CEO with Mokuba and Mrs. Briefs in the room. 

Serenity’s sickness, his parent’s divorce, his mother’s abandonment, his time in the orphanage, Kiyoshi’s abuse and sick interest in him because of his red eyed and singing, getting contacts and not singing in order to hide himself, his time in a gang, leaving the gang, making real friends, having Mai help him discover and accept he was gay, his father’s abandonment, his homelessness during Battle City, Mr. Andrews’ attack, becoming **Katsuya** , Mr. Stevenson stealing a kiss, dropping **Katsuya** , and all that happened when he found out Mokuba had been taken by Kiyoshi. 

Joey felt drained by the end of it all. It wasn’t necessarily in a bad way but he certainly felt like a good chunk of him had broken off in the process. He simply wasn’t wired to expose himself so, especially not to so many people. Vulnerability was not something he was used to. 

And then, the most unexpected thing happened. The elder woman (whom Mokuba introduced as Mrs. Briefs, Jeice’s mother) pulled him into a crushing hug. 

He’d stiffened, of course, and his initial reaction was to push her away. She must have sensed that though because she tightened her arms around him. Eventually, he relaxed into the embrace. Mrs. Briefs was no petite woman, standing just an inch or two shorter than he, and though she was slender she held much strength to her. She took on most of his weight in that hug and whispered kind sentiments into his ear. Once she started running a hand through his hair, in such a motherly show of affection, did he then start to cry. 

There in front of all of his closest friends (minus Mai) he cried in the woman’s arms as years of struggle and anguish spilled free. No one, not even himself, saw anything wrong with that. 

After Joey’s tell-all they’d gotten to know about Mrs. Briefs, and consequently of Jeice, as well. 

The two Briefs (formerly the Parks) were originally from America. After a horrendously failed marriage, in which the father abandoned them, Mrs. Briefs struggled on her own. When Jeice began falling into a wrong crowd at much too young an age she decided a change of pace was needed. For more of a fancy than anything else, moving to Japan and settling in Domino was just that change. 

Jeice had only been 11 years old at the time of the move and fought her every step of the way. She wizened up, became a stronger parental figure, and established herself as a widely successful lawyer in Domino, putting her degree in law to good use. It was the introduction of Mr. Briefs, her husband of 2 years now, that gave herself and Jeice the complete love and stability they were missing. 

Jeice and his step-father took to each other as quickly as she had fallen for the man. Despite his pride and harsh manner of speaking, he was also a deeply loving and honorable man. He quickly passed on his love of martial arts and impeccable fitness to his new son. 

Mr. Briefs however was a business man and as such currently out of the country. As soon as he got news of Jeice he made arrangements to return and they would all get to meet the man in person in a few short hours once the party was under way. 

*****************************************************************************

“Hey Yug.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s it like...being with the Pharaoh?”

Lilac orbs turned to him. “Depends what you mean by that Joey.”

The blonde turned his glance away from his friend. His red eyes focused on the horizon, on the setting sun. The last of its rays still caressed his face and he smiled thoughtfully. 

“You love him.”

Yugi’s eyes shone. “I do.”

“How do you know? How did it come about?” Joey flicked his gaze towards his smaller companion. “For the longest time I thought you were still interested in Tea.”

The diminutive teen hummed as if in thought as he took a step forward to lean against the balcony railing. The noises from the party going on behind them was muffled by the closed glass door. 

“I really did like Tea, and I still do... as a friend,” Yugi’s eyes softened all the more as he spoke. “The Pharaoh and I- Yami and I- we didn’t start off romantically interested in each other. He was first my friend and later my Yami and I his Hikari. We couldn’t help but to establish a bond that’s closer than anything I’ll ever have with anyone else.”

He smiled at the blonde sardonically at this last statement, the corners tugging down apologetically. Joey shook his head and smiled back in return letting Yugi know he understood. 

The smaller teen sighed as he mentally mapped the first showing of stars above. 

“Maybe it was inevitable, I’m not sure. As Yami and I grew closer our feelings changed. Being gay hardly even registered. All I could focus on was on the fact that I’d fallen in love with Yami and I knew also, without a doubt, that he loved me too.”

Inky blackness stretched into the sky. The sun was all gone by now. 

“At first we lamented over our situation, sharing a body. How could we ever truly be together like this? But, that too, changed. Before, Yami only had the power to detach himself from me in a _‘holo’_ form. Yet, when we confessed our love to each other, something strange happened,” Yugi looked back at him. “Yami was then able to detach himself from me, in his **own** body.”

The small teen grinned cheerfully. “He still has to go back into the puzzle every so off and on to _‘recharge,’_ but he can have his own body now when he wants it. I can hold onto him and everything.”

Yugi paused to look back up at the sky. “We look similar, but we’re different people. As much as we get along we also clash. But, we love each other. We accept the good along with the bad.”

The two enjoyed a comfortable silence, Yugi reminiscing and Joey ruminating. 

“Hey guys!”

The blonde let out a horrible eek!

“Hi Jeice,” Yugi called out cheerfully. 

The green-haired teen smiled from the open doorway. “Come meet my dad!”

Jeice turned away quickly and went back inside. 

“Scare me half ta death! Little twerp!” the blonde growled in a clearly mocking fashion. 

“Come on Joey,” Yugi beckoned cheerfully. 

The red-eyed teen followed with a rueful smile. 

Tea, Mrs. Briefs, and Ryou were chatting on the sofa. The Duke, Tristan, Mokuba, and Jeice were gathered around a burly man. 

The blonde paused in his step. Mr. Briefs was... short. 

Not short like Yugi, no, not like that. But, he was shorter than Mrs. Briefs by an inch or two. Yet, his lack of height did not in any way take away from his imposing figure. 

The man was unlike the slender Mrs. Briefs or the mischivieous Jeice. Corded with muscle, wild mane of hair, and dark eyes; he was unlike the average business man as well. 

Well, except for that arrogant smirk. Yep, Mr. Briefs was not what he expected. 

The man spied him. 

“And who are you blondie?” the man inquired in a gruff voice. 

Definitely not what he expected. The blonde popped an eyebrow. 

“I’m Joey Wheeler.”

The man scoffed and stepped towards him, breaking away from his friends. “I think I’ll keep it at blondie.”

Joey placed a hand on his hip and waved the remark away with his other hand. 

“Then I’ll call ya short-stack.”

The man’s eyes glimmered. “You think you can take me on boy?”

Were his friends amused? The blonde couldn’t help but to notice their expressions. 

They were...

Why were they amused?!

“I don’t see why not.”

The man stepped up to him, glare focused. 

Joey felt his insides clench. Mr. Briefs was inches shorter than he was, how could he be so intimidating! The only other person he knew who held such power of self was... Seto. 

Suddenly, Mr. Briefs burst out laughing and all of the others (save Yugi who looked as confused as the blonde) laughed as well. 

Joey caught Yugi’s eye but the smaller teen only shrugged. The blonde yelped when the man thumped him on the back. 

“Relax boy, I was only messing with you.”

“...what?”

“My dad likes to intimidate people, especially when he first meets them,” Jeice explained rather cheerily. “He gets a kick out of it.”

“Say what!”

“He already got us,” Duke answered with a roll of his shoulders. 

“We told him it’s only fair if he got you as well,” Tristan added. 

“It was really funny,” Mokuba gleefully finished. 

“Some friends you are!” the blonde called out, enticing their laughter once more. Joey then glanced at his small friend. “What about Yugi?! Why didn’t he get him!”

“Joey!” Tea and Yugi cried. 

Mr. Briefs shot Yugi a quick glance over and the short teen quickly clamped up. The man shrugged and looked away. “The shrimp doesn’t look like he would be able to handle much.”

Most of the guys laughed themselves silly at that. Poor Yugi didn’t know if he should look relieved or offended. 

The party went on till about midnight. It might have gone on longer but when the Briefs called it a night on account of Jeice needing his rest, the rest trickled out one by one until only Duke and Joey were left alone in their home. 

“That,” Duke announced as he was putting away dirty cups and dishes in the sink. “Was a good time.”

“You bet,” Joey agreed as he helped. 

The two chatted about the evening as they cleaned. However, it didn’t surprise the blonde when his roommate turned the conversation to another topic. He’d been expecting it. “About Kaiba.”

The blonde stiffened as the raven paused. Jade green eyes caught his. “What are you going to do about Kaiba?”

Duke knew the full story of course. He knew that Kaiba had left because he’d found out Joey was **Katsuya**. 

“I realized something when I was talking to Yug earlier,” the blonde said as he dried his hands. 

A raven brow rose. “What’s that?”

Joey frowned. “It’s... well, I have to talk to Kaiba first. Explain some things to him.”

The raven nodded though he was careful to hide the worry he felt. 

“Kaiba was really upset. I think he’ll be sure to hide that from now on but,” Duke’s eyes captured his. “Good luck talking to him when he’ll be likely to be avoiding you.”

“Then he’ll just have to spend time with me even if he doesn’t want to right? That way I can talk to him and he can’t just leave.”

Green orbs widened. “What do you mean Joey?”

“He has to listen, I just need him to listen long enough. I know this.”

“You-” words almost failed the raven. Then, a slow smirk stretched his lips. “ **You** actually planned something out haven’t you?”

The blonde nodded, then glared. “Hey!”

“What are you going to do?”

Joey’s pout pulled back into a teasing grin. “Give him something he didn’t get before.”

******************************************************************************

“Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“Yes.”

“Okay then.”

Pause. 

“What about you? Won’t he figure out you helped me with this?”

Chuckle. 

“He might not talk to me for awhile but that’s nothing compared to what he might do to you.”

Laugh. 

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Sigh. 

“Well, it won’t be a problem on my end... just be careful with him okay? He’s real upset.”

Pause. 

“I will Mokuba.”

“Okay then. I’ll talk to you later Joey.”

Click. 

******************************************************************************

The blonde teenager was long familiar with the hard pounding of his heart. It pushed up against his chest and he raised his free hand to it. His other hand was held up above him against the glass. His forehead was resting against it as he peered at the city below him. 

He’d made his decision, he knew what he had to do. But, for now, he was simply waiting... and thinking. 

Kiyoshi didn’t make it. Kaiba’s single shot put him in the grave. He couldn’t bring himself to truly care about the man’s fate. Though, there was a sense of relief at knowing the crazed man was gone for good. That might not be a particularly _“good”_ thought but it didn’t bother him at all. Maybe he should throw in a thank you when he talked to Seto. 

Seto, how far had they come? The tall brunette knew his deepest secrets, had saved him, cared for him. But now Joey was greedy enough and honest enough to want more. 

Joey Wheeler wanted Seto Kaiba to love him, most especially because he was beginning to love the brunette too. 

The blonde straightened as he heard the door click open and a barrage of people followed through. 

“I don’t care if it will be different. I want my deadlines met and I-”

Joey kept himself staring straight ahead at the city as he felt eyes bore into the back of his skull. “Out.”

The temperature in the room dropped at the venomous tone. “Out! All of you!”

It only just clicked that Kaiba was addressing his employees to leave. They scrambled out quickly though his secretary had the sense to close the door after them. 

The teen CEO’s footsteps were heavy as he walked forward. 

“Enjoying the view?”

Joey felt his back muscles tighten. “It’s nice.”

There was a moment of silence before Kaiba laughed maliciously. “I’ll do you a favor then _Wheeler_ and give you a choice. Either you leave right now or I’ll throw you out through that window so you can better enjoy that view.”

The blonde might have smirked at the familiar threat that was _‘all Seto Kaiba’_ if he wasn’t so damn anxious. “I’ve got only one thing to ask of you.”

“Oh,” the tall brunette sneered. “And what is that _mutt_?”

Joey winced at the word **Mutt,** much as he had at the brunette’s use of his last name. To have gone back to that-

With a deep breath the blonde turned to face Seto. His arresting red eyes looked right into ocean blue. 

“Seto Kaiba, I, Joey Wheeler challenge you to a duel.”

******************************************************************************

 

“Well, well. What’s got you down in the dumps my little love?”

“Mai!” the male blonde jumped up and tackled her in a hug. She hugged him back just as fierce. 

“What are you doing here? And what’s with the new look? Even for you that’s a lot of leather,” red eyes widened as he took a look at what she was carrying. “And what’s with that helmet!?”

The blonde woman chuckled. 

“I’ve gotten into motorcycles lately,” she waved it off. “But you mister! I can see you’ve been busy!”

Joey blushed as he looked back at the mess of cards strewn all over his bedroom floor. He’s been working strategy for hours. Duel Monsters was one of the few things that could get him so focused. 

“Big duel tomorrow, ya know,” he replied with a grin. 

Mai smiled coyly. “I should have charged you for that international phone call yesterday.”

“You called me!”

“I needed to know you were okay!” she returned as she strolled over and made herself comfortable on his bed. “So, hun, what’s the real plan?”

Joey raised a brow at her to which she only returned in kind. The male sighed and went back to sitting down in front of his cards, his back flat against the bed. 

“It’s the only way I can get him to listen long enough.”

Mai repositioned herself on the bed so that she was near the edge. She reached out and ran her hand through his blonde strands. Joey closed his eyes, relaxing at her touch. 

“He’ll be vicious.”

“I know.”

“I just want you to be sure you can face that.”

“I won’t back down.”

She hummed and waited a beat. “Tell me more about your plan.”

******************************************************************************

“Ryou! Ryou wait!”

An arm caught ahold of the pale teen’s. The albino bit his lip. “We have to go cheer Joey on. The duel’s going to start soon.”

“We’ve got time and you and I both know that.”

The pale teen gave up struggling and the other teen let his hold fall away once he was sure Ryou wouldn’t try to run off. The pale teen still wouldn’t meet his gaze however. 

“I... I don’t want-”

“-to talk?”

The albino clenched his hands. He stilled when a hand gently landed on his shoulder. 

“Can’t we talk Ryou?”

The pale teen was silent. 

“Please?” Duke asked as he placed a finger under the other’s chin and turned him to face him. 

Muddy brown eyes searched the raven. Strange how such a color could be so intense. 

“Why- why aren’t you disgusted?” Ryou’s lower lip trembled over his words. 

The green orbs remained as they were, heated. The events of the previous night, when he’d left Joey and Mai alone so they could catch up, had taught the raven just what he was getting into if he wanted to pursue a relationship with Ryou, one that involved another. 

_Bakura._

Ryou’s Yami. You can’t have Ryou without having the other as well.

He’d gone to Ryou last night seeking to talk things out with the pale teen. Duke wanted more, he wanted to at least give themselves a try. He knew Ryou had his Yami, knew the two were somewhat close, he just hadn’t known the two were also involved. 

He’d been wrong. 

Bakura and Ryou didn’t have the connection to each other that Yami and Yugi had. Bakura’s love was dark while Ryou’s love was gentle. They were mismatched but couldn’t help but to be drawn to each other as Yami and Hikari. Yet, because of their incompatibility they needed another to balance them out, at least that’s what Duke believed.  

And so, he had propositioned for them all to be together. 

Ryou had run off then. 

So now, here they were. Because no matter what happened last night, he knew Ryou would be here for Joey. 

“I want us to happen,” Duke confessed, earnestly. 

Ryou’s eyes widened. “Even with-”

The raven offered him a soft smile. 

“All of us,” the raven declared, and just for good measure added, “I think I can handle two guys just fine.”

Duke oomphed! The pale teen had slammed his body upon his and before he knew it his lips were captured in a desperate kiss. 

******************************************************************************

Tick. Tock. 

Tick. Tock. 

Tick. Tock. 

Everyone was watching the two with baited breath. 

Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler. 

It was two days ago that the blonde had challenged the reigning Champ to a duel. Two days since the runner-up from Duelist Kingdom and the runner-up from Battle City Tournament had trapped the tall brunette in the only way he could possibly do so. The only way he could think of in which the teen CEO would not only **HAVE** to see him but stick around while he talked as well. Because, Joey **HAD** to talk to Seto without the brunette running off and leaving. 

It was the only way he could make things right. The only way they might be able to go back and move on to something more. A something more that both terrified him and thrilled him in the deepest sense. 

“Attention!” Roland called out. All snapped their eyes to the man. “This duel will finally begin! Seto Kaiba versus Joey Wheeler!”

The blonde and the brunette slid their decks into their duel discs, eyes never leaving the other’s. At the same time they yelled, “Let’s Duel!”

“I’ll let you go first,” Joey said. 

The brunette drew a card in answer. “I play Ryu-Kishin, 1000/1200. Then I place 2 cards facedown and end my turn.”

The blonde kept uncharacteristically quiet. Kaiba was going to try to keep the talk strictly on the duel for as long as he could. He could give him that, for now. Conversation would come, but the blonde had to make sure it flowed in his favor. 

“My move,” Joey called as he drew a card. He immediately summoned it. “I play Gearfried the Iron Knight, 1800/1600. Your facedown strategy won’t work here. Magic cards don’t work on Gearfried so, Gearfried attack his Ryu-Kishin right now!”

“Alright Joey!” Tristan encouraged. 

_‘That’s it Joey,’_ Duke thought. _‘Stay cool. Stay focused.’_

“Already-”

Kaiba broke off his own sentence with a scoff. 

Joey’s eyes narrowed at him. The brunette really was going to try to keep conversation between them stilted... well, it’s what he had expected anyways. 

“Reveal my facedown card, Shrink. This magic card has the power to weaken any monster on the field by cutting its attack points right in half.”

“Hey!” Joey called out. “Magic cards don’t work on Gearfried.”

“I never said I was going to use it on your monster,” Kaiba returned. 

“Say what?” the blonde bit out. He grit his teeth as he realized, that already at the start of the duel, he was about to be dropped into deep waters. 

“I’m using it to shrink my own monster,” the tall brunette explained with a cold smile as Ryu-Kishin’s attack power dropped to 800. “You’re about to be finished. Now that my monster has less than 1000 attack points I can activate this card.”

Kaiba’s other facedown card sprang up. 

“My Crush Card trap. This infects my own monster with a devastating virus. Once your Gearfried attacks the virus will spread.”

Joey looked on as Gearfried destroyed Ryu-Kishin only to allow the virus to infect him. 

Kaiba’s Life Points dropped to 3000 at the attack but the brunette watched on in triumph. 

“First, it’ll destroy your monster on the field, then the virus will spread to your hand and to your deck, crushing every strong beast that you possess.”

The virus destroyed Gearfried and soon infected the blonde. 

_‘Damn. Jinzo, Gearfried, every one of my powerful monsters is toast,’_ the blonde cursed again as he sent all of his strong monsters to the graveyard. _‘Whatever. This ain’t over till it’s over.’_

Joey tensed when he noticed his opponent was staring at him. Those formidable blue eyes-

“A weak duelist should have weak monsters,” Kaiba stated simply, plainly. It was the utter devoid of emotion in his stance, in his voice, in his eyes that caused a shiver to run up the blonde’s back. 

_‘Oh yeah, he’s pissed,’_ the blonde thought. _‘Believe me, you have every right to be, but I got to make things right!’_

Joey knew his strategies would most likely falter when compared to Kaiba’s. The blonde knew he was good, great even, but Kaiba was phenomenal. If Joey had any chance of winning or even keeping the duel going he’d have to have pull a lot aces from his sleeve.

And that’s just what his strategizing the night before had been all about. 

_‘Yami, this doesn’t feel... right.’_

_‘I know my Hikari,’_ Yami thought back as he placed a hand on the puzzle. _‘I know, and it seems our friends have noticed too.’_

The Pharaoh looked down at the rest of the gang. He could see the confusion in some of their eyes. 

_‘Mai and Duke-’_

_‘They are closest to Joey,’_ Yugi said to him. _‘It makes sense they have an idea what’s happening.’_

“Pharaoh, you see it too right?” Tea asked. 

All the others turned to them. 

“I think it’s obvious those two are taking this very seriously,” Tristan addressed, surprising them. 

“That’s the point,” Mai interjected. “They’re being too serious.”

“Any other time Kaiba and Joey would be at each other,” Duke continued. 

“And yet, all they’re focused on right now is the duel. Even what they are saying to each other only concerns the duel,” Ryou discerned. 

“But it won’t stay that way,” Duke concluded with a nod drawing attention. 

“What-”

“Just watch,” Mai said, cutting Tristan off. “This isn’t just about the duel.”

“This duel only just started,” Joey reminded the tall brunette back on the field. 

“My move,” Kaiba said as he drew a card. “I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp, 1800/1000. With no monsters to protect you say good-bye to 1800 of your Life Points. La Jinn, attack his Life Points directly.”

La Jinn geared up and blew fire out at the blonde causing Joey’s Life Points to drop to 2200 as he coughed. 

“Did you enjoy that?” Joey couldn’t help but to ask in between coughs. 

Kaiba’s eyes narrowed but his smirk was telling. 

“Tremendously,” the tall brunette revealed. 

“Big brother,” Mokuba whispered in worry. Serenity and Jeice each placed a comforting hand on him. “He’s-”

“Regressing?” Jeice helped. 

Mokuba bit his lip but nodded. 

The three young teens were over by Kaiba’s side. Mokuba would always support his brother and his two friends didn’t want to leave him alone despite the fact that Serenity supported Joey and Jeice had decided to remain neutral. 

“What do you mean he’s regressing?” Serenity questioned, anxious about the two boy’s taut expressions. 

“Seto used to have quite the cruel and ruthless streak,” Jeice informed her. 

“And it looks like it’s coming back,” Mokuba spoke softly. 

“Naw, I don’t think so,” the green-haired teen contradicted. He turned golden eyes to Mokuba’s. “He’s putting on a show. You know this.”

Mokuba turned back to the duel. 

“He’s upset,” the young raven said. 

“Yes,” Jeice agreed. “But that doesn’t mean he’s regressing to what he used to be. Seto is strong, and he already defeated his old self.”

Serenity absorbed their words. She knew she was missing a lot but she could get the gist of it. 

_‘Big brother,’_ she thought as she looked up at him. 

Joey drew a card. 

_‘This will definitely help,’_ he thought. “First, I summon Swordsman of Landstar, 500/1200. Now, I’ll activate this magic card, Graceful Dice.”

The fairy-type monster appeared on the field and let go of the die. 

_‘Come on, I need a t least a 4,’_ the blonde pleaded. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face when it looked like it was going to stop at 1. 

“Yes! Now watch this!” the red-eyed teen cried once he rolled a 4. “My Swordsman’s attack power quadruples making his attack power stronger than yours.”

“Lucky,” the brunette spat. “But then, you’ve always been lucky haven’t you?”

Joey paused. There was his opening. He knew the brunette wouldn’t be able to keep from insulting him eventually. “Depends what ya mean by that.”

“Well, you’re not particularly intelligent so what else could explain how you played us all for fools?”

The blonde went rigid. “I didn’t-”

“Hurry up and make your move,” the brunette said, clearly planning to dismiss anything he’d say. 

Joey debated opening up the conversation again. He opted not to. 

_‘Not now.’_

“Swordsman of Landstar, cut his Genie down,” the blonde commanded causing the brunette’s Life Points to drop to 2800. “You’re wide open now.”

“Don’t forget I’ve destroyed every powerful monster in your deck,” Kaiba reminded. “Don’t believe for one second that you’ve got the upper hand.”

_‘He’s right. Thanks to his Crush card the only monsters I’ve got left have less than 1500 attack points. But, I gotta keep fighting. This is about more than just the duel,’_ Joey clenched a fist. _‘Much more.’_

“Let me give you a first hand look at how different we really are,” Kaiba said as he drew a card. “I play Blade Knight in attack mode, 1600. Now, attack his Swordsman.”

Blade Knight rushed forward and sliced through the small Swordsman to pieces. Joey’s Life Points dropped to 1100. 

“I place one card facedown,” Kaiba’s eyes glistened. “You have no chance.”

“I’m just getting warmed up, here goes,” Joey drew a card. “Check this out! I summon Little Windguard in attack mode, 1400.”

“What are you thinking mutt? Is this some lame attempt at a strategy?”

“Maybe. Why don’t you wait and judge for yourself? I play the magic card Legendary Sword. The monster that holds this sword gains 300 attack and defense points,” Joey smiled. “Now Little Windguard, draw your sword.”

“Well I activate this, Absorve Spell.”

“Crap,” the blonde bit out. 

“Now the magic card you just combined to your Windguard is transferred to my Blade Knight, making my monster even stronger,” the tall brunette scoffed at him. “You’ll never defeat a true duelist with real talent with third-rate strategies like that.”

“So, you’re saying, your tournament was a joke?”

Blue eyes narrowed. “What are you going on about Wheeler?”

“All I’m saying,” Joey locked eyes with him. “Is that if I’m a third rate duelist than your tournament must have a joke otherwise I wouldn’t have made runner-up to you of all people.”

“Did- did Joey just make a plausible rationalization against Kaiba?!” Tea breathed out. 

“He’s grown,” Ryou stated simply. 

“Indeed,” Yami agreed. 

“Ah yeah! You tell him Joey!” Tristan cheered. 

“Now, I’ll place one card facedown,” the blonde continued, ignoring the pit of- something growing inside as he watched the brunette. “Your move.”

Mokuba bit his lip. His brother was seething. 

“You. Filthy. Dog!” the icy eyes blazed causing more than one to tense up. “Things are just about to become far worse than anything **you** could imagine.” Kaiba drew a card. “I’ll make  you learn your place you amateur.”

“Joey,” Serenity called out in worry. Jeice frowned at her tone of voice and moved to catch her hand in his. He squeezed and Serenity squeezed back though her focus remained ahead. 

_‘Sweetheart, I hope this is worth it,’_ Mai thought as she took in Joey’s locked jaw along with the rigidity of his stance and movements. She turned a fierce glare to the teen CEO. If things went south the brunette would crush her pseudo-brother in more ways than one. 

“I activate this magic card, Enemy Controller. By sacrificing 1000 Life Points I get to take control of one of your monsters. Left. Right. A. B.”

The controller appeared on the field. After Kaiba’s Life Points dropped to 1800 it connected to Little Windguard and Joey’s monster left for Kaiba’s side of the field. 

“Now I play the magic card, Caught Down. It lowers the level of one of my monsters making it easier to summon,” the brunette explained as he smirked triumphantly. 

“Gee, I wonder what monster that could be?” the blonde winced at his own tone. He’d been trying for sarcasm but it came out hollow. 

“Prepare to meet my ultimate beast,” the tall brunette relished. “I sacrifice your Little Windguard in order to summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon!”

The tall brunette cackled madly as his magnificent beast appeared. 

“Shit! How can I protect myself from that?” Joey whispered to himself as he balled a fist. The Blue Eyes before him looked as grand as it was intimidating. A trickle of fear sprung forth in him. He couldn’t lose now! He’d hardly accomplished what the point of this due was all about. He sucked in a breath to calm himself. He had an ace, he’d be okay, for now. 

“You’re defenseless,” Kaiba pointed out, losing some of his previous anger to clear enjoyment. “One attack from my Blue Eyes and you lose the duel.”

The ice pits of the brunette’s eyes widened as he threw a hand out as though directing his monster’s charge. “Blue Eyes White Dragon! Attack him now!”

Ryou blanched. 

“He means attack Joey’s Life Points, right?” the albino spluttered. 

“Do something!” Tristan yelled. 

“And do it fast!” Duke added. 

“Hold on! I activate this! My Scapegoat magic card!” Joey cried. 

“No!”

Four Scapegoats appeared before Joey and Blue Eyes’ attack took out one of them. 

“You won’t get rid of me just like that,” Joey stressed. 

Kaiba glared. “Blade Knight destroy a second Scapegoat!”

The large Knight rushed forward and sliced through a Scapegoat. 

“Hey, why did your Blade Knight just gain more attack points?” the red-eyed teen asked. 

“Because Blade Knight has a special ability that’s why,” the tall brunette declared. “It gains 400 attack points whenever I have one card or less in my hand. So now it has a strength of 2300 and my Blue Eyes has 3000 Attack points. And thanks to the devastating effect of my all powerful Crush card you have no monsters with more than 1500.”

_‘He has a point,’_ the blonde thought. _‘But it’s not over yet.’_

“It’s your move now,” Kaiba prompted, smiling cruelly. 

Joey shook off the nerves running down his spine at that smile. _‘How can I take down two of Seto’s heavyweights with a deck full of wimps?’_

The blonde drew a card. _‘Not exactly what I was hoping for but I guess it can help guard my Life Points.’_

“First, I’ll place one card facedown, then I’ll play Battle Warrior in defense mode,” Joey looked at his opponent. “And that’s all for now.”

“That pathetic monster won’t slow me down.”

“Prove it.”

Kaiba snorted derisively. “It’s my move.”

The card he drew had the brunette smirking. “I play the magic card, Card of Demise. This card marks the beginning of the end for you mutt.”

“Why’s that?” Joey returned, ignoring his flare of emotions. 

“Because I draw 5 cards now but in 5 turns I lose my entire hand,” ice-blue eyes glinted. “Of course, I plan to destroy you long before that.”

“I’m shaking,” Joey bit out, unable to help himself. 

“Let me make my move and you’ll be doing more than that. I summon Kaiser Seahorse in attack mode. Kaiser Seahorse attack his Scapegoat now!”

The blonde bit his lip as he lost a third Scapegoat. 

“Now Blade Knight, go!”

Dread speared through him, right and quick, as his last Scapegoat was destroyed. He knew what was coming. 

“And now for my Blue Eyes, destroy his Battle Warrior!”

With his last monster annihilated Joey was left wide open. 

“That’s enough for now. Go ahead and try to get yourself out of this mess. Unless, of course, you’ve come to your senses in which case you should just give up Wheeler,” Kaiba spat. 

“I’ll never give up,” Joey promised. 

“This will be over soon enough,” the tall brunette countered. 

_‘No way,’_ the blonde thought as he drew. _‘This could be what I needed.’_

“Now, I activate Pot of Greed which lets me draw 2 cards,” Joey said as he drew 2 more cards, hoping desperately he’d get something he needed. Upon looking at what he had he smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about. First I activate this, it’s Grave Robber. And I’ll use it to take a magic card from your graveyard.”

Kaiba’s grin was back. 

“Scrounging through other’s trash?” the teen CEO scoffed. “Once a filthy mutt, always a filthy mutt.”

Mai cursed inwardly. 

_‘Of all people,’_ the blonde female thought venomously. _‘Why did it have to be him Joey? He’ll make you suffer before it’s all said and done.’_

“Let’s see what you say when I take this, Enemy Controller. But, I’m not going to use it to control your monster.”

“You still have to pay 1000 Life Points,” the tall brunette reminded, grin growing as Joey’s Life Points to 100. 

The blonde ignored the quip. 

“Up. Left. Down. Right. A,” the blonde grinned himself. “Now instead of controlling your monster I can destroy it!”

Seto Kaiba’s eyes widened. “You can’t!”

“Say good-bye to Blue Eyes.”

Everyone was momentarily shocked as they watched the dragon be destroyed. 

_‘Incredible Joey!’_ Yami thought and Yugi agreed. 

“Alright man!” Tristan yelled. “Show Kaiba who’s boss!”

Joey felt strength surge through him, but he wasn’t done yet. “And now I play Monster Reborn!”

“What!?”

Kaiba wasn’t the only one to holler out. 

Mokuba’s eyes darted from one duelist to the other. They all knew what was coming, and judging by his older brother’s furious expression; this could go very, very badly. 

“Now, I bring back Blue Eyes White Dragon!”

The blonde held his breath as the magnificent beast appeared beside him. He was a bit shocked by the pulse of pleasure that hit him. No wonder Seto revered his dragons, he got the same feeling whenever he summoned Red Eyes. 

Joey shook his head. He decided not to dwell on that thought. He smiled cheerfully at the sound of his friend’s praises and encouragement. 

“My Blue Eyes!” Kaiba ripped out, fists clenched, eyes focused yet disbelieving. 

That, had the blonde frowning again. This next part was going to make it worse. 

“Blue Eyes White Dragon,” Joey called, the name rolling off easily. “Attack his Blade Knight with White Lightning.”

Blue Eyes destroyed Blade Knight with a clear shot. 

Silence. 

Joey held his breath as Kaiba’s livid eyes met his. The tall brunette’s Life Points dropped to 700. 

“You’ll pay mutt.”

Something sharp struck the blonde’s heart. He shook himself. “I’ll wrap things up by playing Hayabusa Knight in defense mode, 700. Then I’ll play 2 cards facedown and end my turn.”

The blonde licked his lips. 

“You. You made a big mistake by taking my Blue Eyes away from me,” Kaiba shook with anger as he spoke. “You worthless, little-”

“Alright enough!”

The spectators all flinched at Joey’s furious tone. 

“Enough is enough! I’m tired of this crap!”

Kaiba could have reacted angrily, but instead he grinned sickly. “Oh? What’s wrong mutt? Can’t handle what we all know what’s coming?”

“Look!” Joey yelled, pointing out at him for emphasis. “I don’t really care if you win this duel or I do! I’m not here for that!”

The blonde flicked his thumb back to himself. “The only reason I’m here is so you and I can talk.”

Mai and Duke shared a look. 

Serenity bit her lip and squeezed Jeice’s hand again. 

“I know that if I tried to talk to ya any other time ya would only insult me then toss me out,” Joey stated, feet firmly planted. “But I knew that if we dueled then you’d have no choice but to stay and listen because there’s no way you’d back out of the duel.”

“Oh man,” Tristan blew out.

“So that is what this is all about,” Yami confirmed. 

“He does have a point,” Ryou digressed looking to his raven-haired boyfriend who nodded his agreement. 

“Oh Joey,” Tea said mournfully. 

“Oh nothing,” Mai interjected. “Joey’s a strong guy, he’s got this. Don’t count him out before he even tries.”

Yami nodded. 

_‘If anyone can get through to Kaiba it’s Joey,’_ Yugi thought to the Pharaoh. 

_‘No one else would be stubborn enough to,’_ Yami thought back eliciting a chuckle from his Hikari. 

“Jeice? Serenity?”

The couple turned to look at Mokuba. The clear confusion in his eyes was trained on them. “Is there something going on between my brother and Joey?”

“I don’t really know,” Serenity admitted, quietly. She nodded towards Yami and the others. “But I think there is, and I think they know.”

There was a short pulse of silence. 

“There’s nothing you and I have to talk about you ingrate. I’m only here for the win!” Kaiba drew. “Are you aware of the special ability of my Kaiser Seahorse? All I have to do to activate it is send him to the graveyard. Then I can summon a Light Attribute monster from my hand directly to the field.”

“You have to listen,” the blonde reiterated. 

His brunette opponent ignored him. 

“What’s going on with them?”

The gang turned towards Mokuba who had appeared before them, hand pointed at the two dueling. Jeice and Serenity came to join them as well. 

Duke frowned when the young raven repeated his question. 

“I sacrifice my Kaiser Seahorse so I can summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!” Kaiba pointed straight up as another Blue Eyes appeared by his side. 

Ice dropped into Joey’s stomach. 

“It’s his Blue Eyes against mine,” the blonde bit out. 

“Blue Eyes attack now!” Kaiba ordered. 

Because the two dragons were one in the same, when Kaiba’s attacked Joey’s they both were destroyed. 

“There’s no way I’ll let you control one of my dragons,” the tall brunette spat. 

“They like each other,” Duke explained, holding Mokuba’s gaze when the younger raven focused on him. “They’d been interested in each other for awhile, but right when it seemed like it might become something more, well, the whole mess with Kiyoshi happened.”

The green-eyed teen noticed Jeice and Serenity’s confusion. “I know this won’t all make sense but I’m not about to go into everything.” He turned back to Mokuba. “All you have to know is that Joey ended up revealing that he lied about something and Kaiba took it as a personal blow.” He gestured to the duel. “This is Joey’s attempt to set things right.”

“But it all depends on whether or not the ego-maniac gives Joey a chance or not to make things right,” Mai shrugged casually when she spied the look Mokuba gave her. “No offense to you, but I’m not sure your brother is the forgiving type.”

They all focused back on the duel. 

Mokuba digested their words as he looked from his brother to Joey and back. The youngest teen frowned deeply. 

“I’m not through yet,” Kaiba addressed. “Now I bring back my dragon with this! Monster Reborn!”

Blue Eyes materialized by Kaiba once more. 

“I’ll finish you off and expose you as the failure you truly are!” the tall brunette declared, leveling Joey with an icy glare. “You want to talk here it is, I’ve come to find you are worthless and nothing you say will change my opinion on that! Now let’s get on and finish this because you’ve wasted more than enough of my time!”

Mokuba looked shaken and many of the others looked on in angry disbelief. Mai and Duke swore under their breaths. 

“That complete bastard!” Tristan yelled. Mokuba glared at him but swallowed the immediate defense of his brother that had been about to roll out. All in all, it all served to confuse the young raven even more so. 

Joey visibly flinched but refused to back down. With immense struggle he kept himself calm. Right now he needed calm. 

“I know I messed up, more than once. I know I kept too many secrets and I know I should have trusted better. I know, also, that I should have trusted and believed you too.”

Kaiba said nothing and the blonde busied himself with drawing a card. 

“I messed up and I’m sorry and I’m asking ya to forgive me,” Joey went over what he could do then lifted his gaze from his cards. “It’s that simple.”

“You’re out of your mind!” Kaiba bit out. “Continue the duel.”

Joey stared him down. “I summon Baby Dragon in defense mode and place one card facedown.”

The tall brunette’s eyes blazed as he drew. 

“I play Stop Defense, switching your Knight into attack mode. Now let’s end this! Blue Eyes take out Joey’s Knight and the rest of his Life Points!”

Blue Eyes White Dragon charged up an attack and destroyed Joey’s Hayabusa Knight. 

“You’re through!”

“Not quite!” Joey yelled back once the smoke cleared from the attack. “This duel won’t be over till we talk for real! Now, reveal trap card, Nutrient Z.”

The blonde made a forward fist. “Whenever I’m about to lose 2000 or more Life Points this handy little card gives my Life Points a 4000 point boost before your attack hits.”

The blonde’s Life Points jumped up to 4100 before dropping down to 2100. 

“What is it that you want from me? I know I did ya wrong so I’m willing to make it up to ya,” Joey cut himself off there. He had been about to follow that up with a desperate _‘please.’_

“You’re nothing but trash Wheeler and I want nothing to do with trash,” Kaiba threw back at him as he drew another card. “I’ll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn. This will be over soon.”

“We’re not done yet, not till I get through your thick skull!” Joey burst back, immediately cursing and trying to force himself to keep calm. He took in a long, shaky breath. “Just tell me what I need to do, I’ll do whatever it takes I swear!”

“Get it through **your** thick skull you mutt! I want nothing else to do with the likes of you!”

_‘No!’_ the blonde thought, going rigid. He blinked the start of blur in his eyes away. He took in another breath. _‘He doesn’t mean that. He can’t mean that.’_

“Was it because I was **Katsuya**? I can explain that!”

Joey’s startling red orbs were pleading. For one second he thought- he hoped he saw Kaiba falter. 

“There’s nothing to explain! Hurry up and take your turn so I can end this!”

“I didn’t mean to lead ya on, but I couldn’t let ya know it was really me,” the blonde’s eyes glistened as he went through the motions of drawing a card. “It would have led to more questions I wouldn’t have been able to answer then.”

“The only thing I’m hearing is that you’re weak Wheeler!”

“You forgave me for Kiyoshi so why not for this too!?” Joey was visibly shaking. “I know ya care!”

“Take your turn, now!” Kaiba yelled out ferociously. 

“Seto,” Mokuba whispered, heart tearing. He’s seen his brother at his worst, so why did this feel so very, very wrong?

“I- I place one card facedown and then I activate this!”

Joey revealed his previous facedown, Monster Reborn. 

“You. Filthy-”

“Your Crush card made me send all my best monsters to the graveyard but with this I can bring one back. And I choose to bring out my Red Eyes Black Dragon!”

The blonde almost smiled when his beloved dragon appeared on the field beside. Red Eyes was a comfort right now he so desperately needed. 

“Since when did Joey have a Monster Reborn?” Tea voiced. 

“Yeah, I don’t remember him having that card,” Tristan reiterated. 

Yami nodded. “It must be a new addition,” the Pharaoh surmised. 

“It is,” Duke confirmed. 

“Joey’s been playing an amazing duel,” Ryou commented bringing all of their attention back to the duel. 

Mai hummed. 

“No matter what Kaiba has been throwing at him he’s been slinging it right back,” the female blonde stated, violet eyes sharp. 

Ryou nodded to her but then frowned. “I’m simply worried about how this all might end.”

Everyone tensed at the way the albino teen said that, but there was no doubt that things were not looking good. 

“Yugi says to have faith,” Yami spoke up. “Joey can do this and he needs our support.”

“He’s right,” Serenity smiled. “I believe in my brother.”

Her smile widened when Jeice wrapped an arm around her but she quickly lost it when she remembered Mokuba. The young raven had his back to all of them. 

Mai frowned at Serenity’s words. 

_‘It’s not your brother we should be worried about.’_

“I also play this! My Copycat monster card! And I choose to copy your Blue Eyes!” Joey pointed at Kaiba. “Copycat will copy your Blue Eyes’ attack and defense points, and so, Copycat do ya thing and attack Blue Eyes!”

Having the same attack points the two Duel Monsters ended up destroying each other. 

“My Blue Eyes!”

Joey forced himself to look into Kaiba’s furious eyes. 

“All I want is your forgiveness! Give me the chance to make things right!” Joey only slightly hesitated on the last word. “Please!”

The desperate plea struck painful spears through the hearts of Joey’s friends. 

“No, I won’t forgive you for anything! You lead me to believe you’d be worth it but it was all a lie! I won’t let filth like you get the better of me!” Red botched Kaiba’s normally flawless face. “My move-”

“I’m not through!” Joey interrupted. He knew his next move would be a huge gamble on his end but-

“Red Eyes Black Dragon, attack Seto’s Life Points directly!”

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME BY MY GIVEN NAME!!” Kaiba bellowed, eyes burning, chest heaving. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!”

Joey paled, mouth dropping open as his heart hammered in his chest. 

Looking more imposing than ever the tall brunette raised a hand to the sky. “I activate my card, Ring of Destruction and target your Red Eyes!”

The ring appeared on the field and fit itself around the Black Dragon, destroying it easily. The backlash of the destruction will cause both players to receive the 2700 points of damage. 

“Now, I activate Ring of Defense to absorb all the damage I would receive,” Kaiba leveled Joey with his most arctic glare. “You’re nothing! And now we are through!”

For a few tense seconds the blonde stood stock-still as a tear finally made its escape and rolled down his cheek. 

“No, no way,” Tristan breathed out, looking like he was about to spring forward to attack. 

Mai, too, looked ready to tear something or more specifically, someone apart. 

Duke started when Ryou shuffled up against him and linked his hand in his. He could only give what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze back. 

“Big brother,” Serenity wavered, tears falling down her own eyes. 

“He’s not done yet,” Jeice suddenly announced clearly causing everyone to look at him before glancing back to Joey. 

The blonde forced himself to keep tall even as his eyes blurred hot. 

“Reveal trap! Magic Jammer!”

Joey took a step forward, stance firm. “I can’t stop the attack but with this I can stop your defense!”

Everyone watched, stuck. 

Joey’s trap destroyed Kaiba’s Ring of Defense. 

Because of the Ring of Destruction they were both hit with the damage. 

And so, at the same time, both their Life Points hit 0. 

After a tense beat, seemingly out of the shadows Roland stepped forward. If the man was surprised by the outcome he didn’t dare show it. 

“The duel has ended in a tie between Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler.”

The cheer was slow, uncertain, and died a quick death. Just as the blonde’s friends got it started the tall brunette strode off. Joey was quick to dart after him. 

“Seto!”

The teen CEO only spared him a single glance from the doorway. “Don’t you ever come near me again.”

Joey came to a halting stop, His heart was beating erratically. 

“Seto, please... I think I love you.”

Blue eyes widened. Joey was so sure they widened before a scathing glare took over and the door was slammed shut before he could stop it. The red-eyed teen tried for the knob but it wouldn’t budge. He resorted to pounding at the door. 

“Hear me out! Please just hear me out!”

His friends kept their distance. They hadn’t even moved. 

“Just hear me out ya bastard! Please!”

Mokuba turned away. No one stopped him from leaving with Roland. 

Joey kept pounding away, to the point where he slumped down to his knees, weakly rapping at the door. 

“I’m sorry,” Joey whispered, wishing for all the world it didn’t feel like his heart was spilling out onto the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

**********************************************************************************

Graduation came, and it passed. 

A raven teen wrapped his arms tighter around his boyfriend. 

_‘Well, one of my boyfriends,’_ his mind implored and he smirked at the thought. 

Ryou was resting peacefully against him, taking in the scenery of one of the local parks. They’d decided to go on a picnic. Well, the albino teen had decided and Duke was damned to never say no to those ridiculous puppy dog eyes. 

The understanding with Bakura was still in place. Duke was still trying to wrap his head around that what began as _‘sharing’_ Ryou had slowly evolved into a mild _‘threesome.’_ Yet, it was the only type of relationship they could have in order to make things work between all of them. Although, there was still conflict involved seeing as how Duke and Bakura were both dominant types. 

“Hey Duke?”

“Yeah?”

“... is Joey any better?”

The pale teen frowned as he felt the raven stiffen behind him. 

“I see.”

Duke grimaced. 

“He says he’s fine, acts like he’s fine,” the green-orbed teen revealed as he sighed and tightened his hold around Ryou. “But, he’s not really fine.”

The two grew solemn at that. 

The entire gang knew their lovable blonde was suffering but it was only Duke who watched, helpless to do much about it, day in and day out. Comfort and reassurances fell on deaf ears, diversions were skipped, and even normal conversation was stilted. 

No one had expected Joey to try so hard just to get Kaiba to listen only for the teen CEO to reject him so resolutely in return. It had been heart-breaking to watch, much less...

“There has to be something we can do,” Ryou suggested. 

Duke came to rest his chin on the pale shoulder. 

“Until we think of something we should just let it lie low. What Joey needs most right now is time and space.”

****************************************************************************

They didn’t understand. And, he didn’t expect them to. 

He’d tried, he’d practically begged. 

Scratch that, he **had** begged. 

And still... nothing. 

He removed his hands from around his knees and dug them into his blond scalp. 

No matter what his mind kept going back to the duel. What he’d done. What he’d said. What he didn’t say. Every little detail was there, grating at him from under his skin. 

He’d messed up, _again_. 

It’s been weeks since he’d last seen him. Weeks he had spent in anguish, unable to think or focus on anything else. He spent more time alone than he ever had before simply because he wasn’t able to keep up the semblance of happiness for too long. 

He knew his friends wanted to help but that was just it, they couldn’t. Not when his heart was still screaming to go back and try even harder as his thoughts brutally mocked that it was already too late. 

They were done before they’d started. 

He’d said he _thought_ where he should have revealed he’d _known_. 

*****************************************************************************

Anger. 

Anger pulsed in his hands as he stood before the door he had yet to open. He clenched and unclenched them, a motion he’d become familiar with as of late although it still was a fairly new concept to him. After all, anger of this kind was fairly new to him as well. He’s been angry before but this was different. He could count the number of times on one hand he’s ever been angry with his older brother. 

Mokuba adored Seto like no one else. He knew he idolized him despite his elder brother’s obvious faults.

But, this time, this fault...

With resolve he opened the door. 

The click-clack of keys was routine. That was normal. That sound, however, was not present this time. 

Stacks of paper cluttered the desk. Empty cups of coffee littered the floor near the trash can. Seto’s jacket was strewn across the couch. 

Seto himself was standing, looking out the window. His right hand was twitching at his side. He made no show of knowing Mokuba was there although the young raven knew that he knew. 

Stormy grey eyes took in everything. 

The rigidity of his brother’s shoulders. 

The fact that he could tell the brunette strands were unbrushed even from behind. 

The listless eyes he knew were staring off into nothing. 

There was no one in the world who knew Seto better than his younger brother. And, it was because Mokuba knew him, because the young raven had finally figured everything out- that was why he was so damn pissed, more so than he’d ever been before. 

“This isn’t a good time.”

So cold. So informal. 

Seto hadn’t moved, nor had he used his name. Seto always called him by name whenever he addressed him. This was _wrong_. 

“Is it ever going to be a good time again?”

It came out sharp and quick. It only angered Mokuba further that his brother didn’t react, at all. 

“I’m not in the mood for this.”

“Well, I am!”

Nothing. Still, a whole lot of nothing. 

“I’m not-”

“Loot at me!” Mokuba interrupted, because he wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ , keep hearing his brother talk to him like this. “Just turn around and look at me!”

Seto, surprisingly, did just that. 

The young raven did not feel any better about it, as he’d hoped. No, instead he felt worse. 

Those eyes, those eyes. They washed the anger right out of him. It pained Mokuba to see those eyes. 

_‘Gods, Seto. What have you been doing to yourself?’_

“I don’t understand why?”

Seto only gazed at him. 

“You like him, I can tell.”

Finally. Something. 

The tall brunette’s hand clenched. Mokuba noticed the red string. He’d noticed it before but now-

“That’s Joey’s isn’t it?”

The deep blue in Seto’s eyes was returning. 

“What’s going on big brother?”

Seto looked away. 

“You can tell me,” the raven prompted. 

Ocean blue eyes slid to him. Then, the teen CEO closed his eyes for a brief second and moved to sit in his chair motioning for his little brother to sit as well. Mokuba slumped down on the couch, eyes never leaving his brother. 

“It’s Joey’s, and yes... I care.”

“Why don’t you tell him that?”

“It’s done Mokuba,” the brunette quickly interceded. “You saw what happened.”

“But, I don’t underst-”

“He lied to me! He made a fool of me!”

Seto’s tone wasn’t so loud as it was spiteful. 

Mokuba shuffled on the couch. “He seemed like he was real sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

The young raven took the chance and caught his brother’s eyes. “Aren’t you being too harsh?”

“It’s foolish to stick with someone who will wrong you.”

“It’s Joey.”

“I will not-”

“It’s. Joey.”

They stared at each other. 

“Mokuba, you don’t know everything that happened.”

Stormy grey eyes took in the red string in his brother’s hand. Joey’s string. 

That’s where it clicked. 

He stood up. He walked to the door and turned. “I know that you’re not happy like this Seto, and you deserve to be happy.”

******************************************************************************

“Mokuba? What the!? What are you doing here shrimp?”

“Can you let me in? It’s raining.”

Joey blinked. 

Blinked again. 

“Sure,” the blonde said, finally snapping out of his trance. He moved out of the way to let the young raven in. “No one else is here right now. Just me.”

The young raven nodded and shrugged off his coat for Joey to hang. 

“So, no that it’s not nice to see ya but what are ya doing here?”

Mokuba accepted the towel Joey brought for him to wipe his face. 

“Just wanted to hangout,” the young raven called as he swept down onto the couch. “And talk and stuff.” Mokuba aimed a pout. “Jeice and Serenity are on a date.”

Joey struck his tongue in return. “I know, Serenity was telling me all about it earlier and Mai certainly didn’t help.”

“Mai’s still here?”

The blonde waived it off. “It was a three-way call.”

“Ah.”

“Yup,” Joey drummed his fingers on his hip. “So, Super Smash Brothers?”

Mokuba grinned. “Uh, yeah!”

“So,” the blonde began some time later. “What did you wanna talk about?”

Stormy eyes blinked at him. 

Joey chuckled then stopped abruptly. It’s been so long since he last laughed. Cautiously, he tried for a smile and Mokuba sucked in a breath. There’s something heart-rending about a smile that’s meaningful during such a difficult time.

“I can tell when someone wants something from me.”

Mokuba waited until they finished playing their round. He looked Joey up and down afterwards. “Do you have anything in red?”

Joey raised a brow. “Maybe. What’s it to ya?”

“What is it?”

The blonde didn’t respond. He stood up, left the room, and returned with something red in his hands. The raven held his hands up and Joey slipped the item to him. Mokuba ran his hand about it, traced the fringe edge. The young raven could tell the fringe had pieces missing. 

“I get ya trying to be all mysterious and whatnot but really, anytime ya wanna start explainin’ I would be all for that too.”

Joey tried for a teasing grin but one look from those eyes wiped it right off. Mokuba really did need to talk about something, and he had a feeling he knew what it may be about.

“There was a story my mother liked to tell. I don’t remember her telling it, but my brother would tell it to me,” Mokuba kept playing with the scarf as Joey sat down. “When we were a lot younger.”

“It’s called the Red Thread of Fate,” the raven locked eyes with him. “Back during the feudal era, two heirs were born to rival clans with a red thread wrapped around their pinkies. Each clan believed this meant that their heir was special, that this particular heir would lead them to victory. But, when the two heirs were to clash on the battlefield their threads connected and they fell in love before stealing off into the mountains. They realized, while they were hiding away, that they might be able to end their clan’s feuds once and for all.”

Joey’s eyebrows were scrunched but he was listening. This wasn’t what he had expected. 

“But the clans refused to listen to them and they were both disinherited. The feud continued and the battles from therein took so many more lives. But, the two lovers did not give up hope.”

“The two clans dwindled and might have wiped each other out when a warrior appeared. A young man of great power who single handedly brought the two clans to their knees. He could have slayed them then, but instead he showed them mercy. He brought the two clans together and an era of peace reigned. Upon his deathbed he revealed who his parents were, the two original heirs. Their continuing love for each other and for their clans stayed with them till they died, all of which they passed on to their son before a disease took their lives.”

Mokuba smiled. 

“It doesn’t seem like a happy story in a way, but it is. Two people who were supposed to hate each other found love instead. They were fated to come together, because together they were able to be something better.”

“Why are ya telling me this?”

The raven handed him the scarf back. 

“Seto would never admit it,” Joey stiffened at Mokuba’s mention of his brother by name. “But he likes that story, believes in it.”

Those stormy grey eyes looked into his. 

“You messed up and so did he. If you truly want to fix things you have to know, words will never reach my brother, action will,” Mokuba stood up. “He still cares Joey. He carries around one of the end pieces of your scarf with him at all times to this day... the red thread.”

“You could be apart and be _good_. You’d go on with your lives and they wouldn’t be bad ones,” Mokuba looked to him so earnestly Joey wouldn’t have dared to believe a Kaiba were capable of it unless he’d seen it himself. “But I think if you were together, you’d be _great_.”

***************************************************************************

“Joey!”

The blonde engulfed him in a tight hug, arms wounding around his small torso. 

“Hey Yug,” Joey said as he pulled back. 

Lavender eyes took in the smile. It wasn’t his wide trademark grin but it was a hell of a lot more genuine than the ones the blonde had been gracing them with for the past few weeks. 

“Looking good man,” Tristan claimed as he slapped a hand on Joey’s shoulder. 

Red eyes looked from one smiling face to the next. 

The warmth of Ryou’s eyes. 

The affectionate ruffle of his hair from Tea. 

The happy arch of Duke’s eyebrow. 

It made the Joey’s heart swell. He really did have the greatest friends. How easily they accepted him back in. The blonde swallowed the knot in his throat. He should have never doubted them. 

“So, you think you can beat my new high score on Galactus Monsters?”

Joey’s mouth fell open. 

“No you did not!” he roared at Tristan. 

The pointy-haired brunette grinned. “Oh yes I did!”

“Well, it’s not staying yours for long!”

“I’d like to see you try!”

“I’m already on it!”

Tea nudged Yugi though neither of them strayed from watching Joey and Tristan challenge each other. 

“He’s going to be okay,” she breathed in relief. 

Yugi smiled at her. 

The smile Ryou gave Duke was a bit more knowing. “Joey’s going to do something isn’t he?”

The raven pondered his answer. 

The blonde had been scouring the internet lately. He’d also been making a lot of calls and spent hours looking at a map of the city. 

Then there was the fact that Joey told him last night just what it was that he was planning to do.

So yes, the blonde was planning to do something. But, the raven only grinned at his boyfriend in response. 

*****************************************************************************

His heart was pounding. 

Why was it pounding? He’s given performances before. Granted this was the first one atop a building. And yeah, he was going to be pretty much baring his soul with no guarantee that it won’t be completely ripped to shreds but hey that was life, right?

Okay, maybe this wasn’t just another performance. It was a whole heck of a lot more, to him at least. 

There was also the fact that a large crowd had gathered. And the police was among them. And he was on TV at the moment. And they all initially had thought he was a jumper. 

Joey swallowed. 

The time had come. He was being filmed after all. 

“Ah, heh, nice of you all to come out. Wasn’t really expecting so many people but yeah,” the blonde cleared his throat. The crowd was getting loud. “Anyways, I’m sure you’re all wondering who I am and why I’m up here. Well, I’m here to sing.”

Joey licked his lips. This was it. 

The crowd was roaring. A policeman was blaring something through the megaphone. A copter was capturing him on live feed. The large screen in the center of Domino held his image. 

Yup. 

Joey raised an arm, cueing the brave men behind him to start playing. The strum of music instantly quieted the crowd. 

He brought the mic up to his mouth. 

“This song goes out to one person. To say, that I’m sorry. To ask you to forgive me. But, more importantly, to say that...” Joey’s heart squeezed as he looked up at the decadent tower. The big **‘KC’** up on display. “To say that I love ya. I’m in love with you. I am.”

He cleared his throat. He had to start singing. 

The blonde closed his eyes, breathed in, breathed out, and opened them. 

Here goes-

“ _I'm not a perfect person_

_There's many things I wish I didn't do_

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know”_

 

Joey’s red eyes focused on the top floor of the Kaiba Corp building. The structure he was on wasn’t anywhere near as high but it was directly across from the tall tower. 

 

_“I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you”_

 

He wasn’t sure this was the best song even though it seemed to explain his feelings perfectly. He wanted it so badly to reach the brunette but he wasn’t all too sure that the teen CEO wouldn’t simply be put off by it. 

 

_“I'm sorry that I hurt you_

_It's something I must live with everyday_

_And all the pain I put you through_

_I wish that I could take it all away_

_And be the one who catches all your tears_

_Thats why I need you to hear_

 

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you”_

 

Tears pricked his eyes. He was definitely throwing all his damn emotions into this. 

Joey sucked in a breath, hoping his voice wouldn’t tremble over this next part as he belted his heart out, a bit more than necessary. 

Or at lot more than necessary. Whatever. 

 

_“And the reason is you_

_And the reason is you_

_And the reason is you!”_

 

Joey’s heart skipped a beat. Or two. 

Was that-

Was that a figure at the window?

The blonde was too far away to be able to tell. Regardless he breathed, and breathed again. 

_‘Seto.’_

His vision swam. 

_‘I’m trying my best here.’_

He closed his red eyes and leaned into his mic over the edge of the building.

 

_“I'm not a perfect person_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know_

 

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you_

 

_I've found a reason to show_

_A side of me you didn't know_

_A reason for all that I do_

_And the reason is you”_

 

There, he was done. 

Red eyes searched desperately, trying to discern the top floor. Was he there? Was he?

Joey didn’t notice the roar of the crowd. He didn’t notice his friends appearing at the scene. The blonde did however hear a door bang open behind him. His bandmates immediately threw their hands up into the air. 

Cops. 

_Crap._

****************************************************************************

“We’re getting paid extra for this right?”

Piercing red orbs flickered over to catch mellow brown. His only response was the raising of his blonde brow. 

“Should that truly be a concern right now?” the guy with the long, orange hair asked from where he sat beside the guy with the brown eyes, whom was taking up most of the space laying across the bench. 

Brown-eyes shrugged his shoulders. “Seems important to me.”

Joey rolled his eyes as the two got into another one of their banters. He reached up and ran his palms over his face with a groan. 

“Wheeler. Suzuki. Deville.”

The three snapped their heads up as the door to their cell opened. The cop eyed them steely. 

“You’ve all been sprung,” he grumbled. “Whichever one of you is Wheeler you got someone waiting for you out in the lobby.”

The man left them without so much a second glance. 

“Well,” brown eyes slid up and sprung to his feet. “What do you say we go get a burger Deville?”

The orange haired man smiled and flicked a hair out of his face as he turned to Joey. “Call us when another gig comes up.”

The blonde nodded with a grin of his own. 

“Will do.”

Brown-eyes waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t forget about payment!”

Joey laughed. “I’ll catch ya guys later, and thanks.”

Deville nodded politely but Suzuki only opened his mouth again as he slung an arm around his taller, orange-haired companion. “Payment!”

The blonde watched them fondly before turning away to head to the lobby. It was many years ago he’d become familiar with the structure of police stations. At least, it’s been many years as well since he was last in one. 

Shock hit him when he entered the lobby. “Roland?!”

“Hello Mr. Wheeler.”

“Roland?!”

“If you would follow me please.”

“Roland?!”

“That is my name Mr. Wheeler.”

Joey gaped. “But- but- you-”

The blonde blinked in confusion. 

“What are you doing here?” Joey asked once he finally gathered his bearings. 

“I’m here to pick you up,” the man returned simply. 

“You sprung me? Us?”

Roland motioned for the exit and the blonde fell into step. A limo was waiting outside. The man opened the door for him and taking note of the blonde’s hesitation added, “I’m here to take you to the Kaiba Mansion.”

Red eyes turned to him. 

“Oh,” was all the blonde managed. 

Roland nodded and closed the door after him. 

Joey couldn’t relax the entire ride over though he was infinitely grateful he was alone in the limo. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it?

Dear Ra, his palms were sweating. 

The blonde started when the door abruptly opened. They’d arrived. _Shit_. 

“Mr. Wheeler?”

“It’s Joey,” he automatically answered as he climbed out. 

_‘Has the mansion always been this big?’_

His legs felt jittery as he climbed the steps to the entrance. 

“Mr. Kaiba is waiting in his home office. I’ll lead you to-”

“I know the way.”

Roland nodded. “Very well.”

And at that the blonde was left alone. So, he walked. 

_‘Okay. I’m fine. I can do this.’_

His feet automatically took him where he needed to go. 

_‘I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.’_

Hi heart jolted when already he was before the double doors. 

_‘Not okay. I am NOT okay!’_

He clenched his hands and shook his head. He’s already bared his all dammit. His message had been pretty damn clear. 

The blonde straightened himself and opened the door abruptly, freezing when he was quickly met with ocean blue eyes. There was no preamble this time around. Kaiba was facing him straight on, leaning against his desk, arms crossed in front of him. 

Joey’s mouth went dry. He licked his lips as he closed the door behind him. 

“Quite the show you put on.”

The blonde’s smile was a little too cheery in response. “What can I say? I like an audience.”

Kaiba’s face was impassive but those blue eyes were- simmering. 

The brunette unfolded his arms and stood to his full height. “What were you expecting to get out of it?”

Well, shit. Hardball already. 

Joey really, really shouldn’t be all that surprised. Though it did relieve some of the blonde’s tension. This he could deal with. 

“You’re not the type to ask for what you already know.”

The blue eyes didn’t blink. They remained assessing. 

Unfortunately, Joey couldn’t hold onto his patience any longer. He’d been waiting for a chance like this for weeks on end and hell if he wasn’t just going to put everything out there. The blonde threw his hand up into the air, exasperated. 

“Fine. I’ll talk,” his hands came back down, almost uselessly at his sides. “I’m not good at this. I’m not. I will risk my neck for others in a heart beat but I’m not good at doing anything that’s just for me. I’ve never-”

The blonde cut himself off. He didn’t want to go off on a rant. He just needed to say what he really wanted to get out there. “I’m not expecting anything. I’m only offering. I’m just me. I can’t offer anything but me.”

Joey’s eyes swiveled up to gaze into blue. When had he crossed the room?

“Say something. Anything.”

Kaiba remained impassive for a long time. But, unbelievably, the brunette did let out a sigh eventually before fixing his eyes to Joey’s. 

“I don’t apologize.”

The blonde’s throat tightened at those words. Did that mean-?

“I’ll always expect too much and we’ll both get angry over that, even when I know better.”

Joey’s throat released. 

“I won’t make things easy, not for a very long time; and it will take a _very_ long time.”

Oh yeah, the blonde was gaping now. “Are- are you?”

The brunette stared at him, his hand shifting about.

Red eyes caught the movement. Joey took a bold step forward and slowly reached out, giving the taller teen time to pull away should he want to. 

Kaiba didn’t. 

The blonde opened the brunette’s hand. 

There it was. The little red thread Mokuba spoke of. The one that so obviously came from the end of his scarf. 

Ra, his throat was tightening again as his eyes immediately snapped up. 

“Mokuba told me the story,” Joey blurted out. 

The blonde was sure a brunette brow twitched upwards. 

“The red thread story that ya used to tell him.”

“I know what you meant.”

Joey couldn’t look away. He was sure the other teen could feel the nerves rolling right off of him. “I’m not good at this stuff.”

The blue eyes didn’t much flicker. They were... urging. 

“I’m gonna mess up every once in awhile.”

This time he did see the brunette brow rise. 

“Or a lot,” the blonde quickly amended. 

Kaiba took in his features and shook his head with a sigh before leveling a stare again. “Are we really going to go through with all of this?”

The tension completely left Joey as he laughed. “Yeah, I guess we shouldn’t.”

But, the blonde then frowned. “So, I’m kinda confused. I thought you were mad at me.”

“I was.”

The blonde’s heart was literally going to pop, it really was. He hadn’t missed the implication there, no sir. 

He really can’t be held responsible for the fact that he wove his arms around that pale neck and brought those lips down to meet his. Really, anyone who knew him should have known the moment Kaiba gave him a positive response that he would simply jump the gorgeous teen and worry later. 

Though it was made all the much better when a pale hand came to cradle the back of his head and deepened the kiss. There was movement but the blonde didn’t make heads or tails of it. His feet stepped and turn. He moaned as their tongues danced. Groaned when his bottom lip was bit. Felt heat whenever his back met a hard surface. 

Great fucking Ra in the sky he was so ready. 

And yet, he let out a surprised squeak when he was suddenly flung down. 

Onto a bed. A bed. 

_Oh._

“You don’t pay attention much do you?”

Red eyes blinked, taking in the sight of the brunette smirking down above him and damn that was hot. So hot. 

The blonde gained a flush as the brunette stripped off his tie and jacket. Their lips re-connected and the touch of their hips shot spikes of pleasure through them both. Heat pooled in the blonde’s groin. Seto licked at his jaw, sucked at his neck, and nipped at his ear. It wasn’t too long before they were both shirtless. 

Red eyed flared at the sight of the wide, pale chest. 

Pale lips traced over many tan scars. 

Hands roamed, squeezing, tweaking, kneading. 

Joey arched when Seto rolled his hips. 

All too suddenly the pale body pulled back off of him. Heated red eyes found fire-hot blue. 

“What?”

The blonde didn’t want to stop so why-

“If we continue further I won’t stop,” the brunette panted. 

It took a few seconds for the message to sink in, and it took a little less for the blonde to make his decision. He reached out and gripped a pale shoulder bringing the taller teen back down. They both knew what his action meant. 

Joey attacked the pale neck as soon as he turned them around so he was the one doing the straddling. The blonde wasn’t completely new to this but he’s never gone all the way before. 

He worked the pale chest over feeling immeasurably proud whenever he ripped a groan out of the brunette. He didn’t get passed sucking and nipping his way down to the hips before he was flipped back onto his back. 

“I’m first Joey.”

It became a flurry from there. The red-eyed teen was a heated, panting mess by the time the taller teen was lined up against him. Blue eyes met his in silent permission and he nodded. The pale fingers had slicked him up already and he’d take him himself if Kaiba didn’t enter him right then and there. 

Seto grunted his way past the ring of muscle. Joey knew he’d never hear the stoic teen mutter sweet nothings but the, _“damn’s”_ and _“you feel so good”_ were much more than enough. Both teens gasped when the taller teen was fully fit inside. The blonde drew long breaths and gripped the sheets tight until he got used to the intrusion, welcome as it was. The teen CEO only began to move once tan legs wrapped around him. 

Joey lasted longer than he thought he would. Every time the blonde began to clench up in anticipation the brunette would switch the angle and keep him writing in bliss. He could almost damn Seto for reading him so perfectly. 

Red eyes clenched shut as he came first, white-hot heat uncoiling within him. He thinks he might have cum a second time from catching the brunette in the throes of ecstasy as well. 

Hell, he might have blacked out for a few seconds. Who knew?

The two laid together neither one moving or saying a thing. Until-

“So, that was amazing.”

The brunette smirked at him triumphantly. 

“Does this mean we’re going out?”

Oh crap. Seto was glaring at him. He thought-

Joey stiffened when a pale arm slung around his side and pulled him in.

“Let me make this clear Joey,” the brunette’s breath tickled his ear. “You’re mine.”

_Oh thank Ra_. 

 

**Epilogue:**

Duke was the first to react. 

“It’s about damn time,” the raven ground out. 

That set off everyone else. 

“Congrats you two!”

“That’s wonderful!”

“Wow, oh wow.”

“If you ever hurt Joey I’ll-”

“It was bound to happen.”

“Have you had sex yet?”

“MAI!!!” Joey screeched, red slashing across his cheeks upon her asking that question. 

The female blonde smirked at him before she turned and poked at Duke next to her. 

“That’s a definite yes,” she said in a loud whisper as though it was only meant to be heard by the raven though it was obvious it was heard by everyone. 

“Mai!! My baby sister is right there!” Joey turned to Serenity. “Don’t ever listen to a word that harpy says!”

Mai chuckled. 

“You’re only mad because I’m right darling,” the female blonde winked. 

“You’re a crazy harpy is what your are! You’re- mmph!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as they watched Seto Kaiba grip Joey Wheeler’s chin and pull him into a swift kiss. 

Red eyes were clearly dazed when they parted but also questioning. 

“It’s the best way to shut you up when you start to babble nonsense,” his tall boyfriend smirked down at him. 

“Seto does that all the time,” Mokuba cheekily revealed. 

Joey immediately flushed as everyone laughed. “Let’s just start the party already!”

It’d been a long time since they all last got together. Even Mako, the Ishtar trio, The Briefs family, Rebecca, Rebecca’s grandfather and Yugi’s grandfather had turned up. 

They swapped stories and laughs and caught up with what everyone was doing. 

Some things were a given like Yugi and Yami planning trips to Egypt, Tea leaving for America to study dancing, Mako becoming Captain of his own ship or Tristan joining the police force. 

Other things were a surprise such as Duke, Ryou and Bakura collaborating in the gaming business or Joey becoming the frontman of his own band. 

Sure enough Deville and Suzuki were there as well after Joey introduced the two as the guys he had worked with back in **The Dragon’s Lair**. There was no way they were not going to become local stars after the show they’d put on, although they’d all agreed to remain local. While Joey loved being a musician he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take tours around the world, though they were young enough to plan for that later should they ever choose to do so.  

The blonde smiled when later that night the brunette wound an arm around his waist after they said their good-byes. Though they were far from perfect, Joey knew he was happiest with Seto beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs in this ‘So Far Away’ by Avenged Sevenfold and ‘The Reason’ by Hoobastank. Damn beautiful songs and you all know it!
> 
> I do not, nor wish to portray ‘rape fetish’ in my story. I don’t particularly like or read stories where Kaiba rapes Joey and Joey falls for him anyway or where Joey is raped and Kaiba has to save him. First and foremost Joey is NOT, EVER, raped in my story. Mr. Andrews came along to expose Joey’s fear and Kiyoshi is the catalyst for it. Something does not have to happen in order for you to be afraid of it. For example, you don’t have to have ever been burned in order to be afraid of fire. A traumatic exposure of it can do that to you regardless. I only say this here because I received some negative reviews on ff.net, for this same story, for writing another typical ‘Joey gets raped’ fic. 
> 
> Also, I did explain before that FEAR is DEBILITATING. Joey is a strong character, and I respect that. But, even a tough guy like Joey can let fear get the best of him, which he does overcome when he fights back against Kiyoshi. I am not going to portray Joey as someone who can kick everyone’s ass. He’s tougher than most but he’s also a teenager. Adult men tend to be stronger than teenage guys. 
> 
> I apologize if there were any discrepancies in the duel. They are not my forte so lets just pretend they are not there, yes?
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with this and though it’s over I’ve got more goodies in my arsenal so keep an eye out for them!

**Author's Note:**

> I have this fic posted in completion at fanfiction.net under my same name (TheInvicibleIronWoman), slightly different title. 
> 
> I have many great reviews but some flames. This will be a long fic, wording is 50,000+
> 
> If you feel like it might be a waste of time to read so much without knowing if you'll like it go ahead to ff.net and check out the reviews. 
> 
> I think some of my flamers are a bit inconsistent in their review of my work but as I'm the author I'm bound to feel that way.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Against All Odds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4090648) by [baus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/baus/pseuds/baus)




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